■   ■i^:^!*fSi:-^- 


$B   303    MSI 


-^.^ 


^^/44-  /3t/ 


H.:(q 


H^y: 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/educationofdefecOOanderich 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES  IN 
THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


SCHOOL   EFFICIENCY  MONOGRAPHS 

Education  of  Defectives  in  the  Public  Schools 
Rural  Education  and  the  Consolidated  School 
Problems  in  State  High  School  Finance 

Commercial  Tests  and  How  to  Use  Them 

Baton 

Recoid  Forms  for  Vocational  Schools 

iWcSlntrrefcD 
The  Public  and  Its  School 

ifEaj[)one» 
Standards  in  English 

if^eatr 

An  Experiment  in  the  Fundamentals 

The  Reconstructed  School 

meetr 
Newsboy  Service 

a^lttfjartrson 
Making  a  High  School  Program 

Ciitrsman 

The  Teaching  of  Spelling 


SCHOOL    EFFICIENCY    MONOGRAPHS 

EDUCATION  OF 

DEFECTIVES  IN  THE 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

BY  META  L.  ANDERSON 

SUPERVISOR  OP  CLASSES  FOR  DEFECTIVES,  NEWARK,  NEW  JERSEY 

LECTURER  ON  METHODS  OF  TEACHING  DEFECTIVES 

NEW  YORK  UNIVERSITY 


With  an  Introduction  by 
Henry  H.  Goddard 

DIRECTOR    OF    THE    DEPARTMENT    OF    RESEARCH    OF    THE    TRAINING 

SCHOOL    FOR    FEEBLE-aaNDED    CHILDREN,    VINELAND,    NEW 

JERSEY,    AUTHOR    OF    **  SCHOOL    TRAINING    OF 

DEFECTIVE    CHILDREN**  .         ,'   i    i    ,    / 


YONKERS- ON -HUDSON,   NEW   YORK 

WORLD    BOOK   COMPANY 

1921 


WORLD  BOOK   COMPANY 

THE  HOUSE  OF  APPLIED  KNOWLEDGE 
Established,  1905,  by  Caspar  W.  Hodgson 

YONKEES-ON-HUDSON,  NeW  YoRK 

2126  Prairie  Avenue,   Chicago 

Publishers  of  the  following  professional  works : 
School  Efficiency  Series,  edited  by  Paul  H. 
Hanus,  complete  in  thirteen  volumes ;  Educa- 
tional Survey  Series,  seven  volumes  already 
issued  and  others  projected ;  School  Efficiency 
Monographs,  twelve  numbers  now  ready, 
others  in  active  preparation 


skm:  aedp»-2 


Copyright,  1917,  by  World  Book  Company 
All  rights  reserved 


PREFACE 

THE  work  for  defectives  in  the  public  schools  is  so 
new  and  experimental  that  the  readers  of  this  dis- 
cussion are  asked  to  regard  all  the  opinions  here  set  forth 
as  merely  tentative,  to  be  verified  or  discarded  as  later 
developments  prove  them  right  or  wrong. 

The  success  of  the  schools  for  defectives  in  Newark 
has  given  the  author  courage  to  send  this  volume  out 
to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  why  and  how  of  their 
success. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  schools  could  not  have 
been  made  a  success  without  the  splendid  ability  and 
wonderful  cooperation  of  the  staff  of  teachers,  and  this 
opportunity  is  taken  to  thank  them  again  for  their  in- 
teUigent  and  hearty  support  of  the  author  in  all  branches 
of  work  which  have  been  attempted. 


^:53109 


[v] 


CONTENTS 


PAOB 

Introduction ix 

CHAPTER 

I.    Introduction  1 

II.    Selection  of  the  Children   5 

III.  The  Curriculum  op  the   Special  School  for  Defec- 

tives    11\^ 

IV.  Discussion  op  the  Curriculum  in  the  Kindergarten 

Department 18 

V.    Departmental  Division  of  the  Special  School 44 

VI.    Trade  Classes 82 

VII.    The  Place  of  the  Special  School  for  Defectives  in  ^ 

THE  Public  School  System  and  in  the  Community.  .  93 

VIII.    Conclusion 101 

Index 103 


Cvii] 


INTRODUCTION 

rTTEIA^T  there  are  mentally  defective  children  in  the 
A  public  schools  is  a  fact  now  recognized.  How  many 
there  are  is  still  an  open  question;  evidence  is  daily  grow- 
ing that  2  per  cent  of  the  school  population  is  a  con- 
servative estimate. 

Whether  these  children  should  be  kept  in  the  public 
schools  and  there  trained,  or  be  provided  for  by  some  other 
method,  is  a  phase  of  the  problem  also  under  discussion. 
But  whatever  our  opinion  as  to  the  theoretically  correct 
or  ideal  procedure,  the  fact  remains  that  in  all  probability 
these  children  will  remain  in  the  public  schools  for  a  long 
time  to  come,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  the  lack  of 
adequate  machinery  to  provide  for  them  elsewhere. 

It  has  been  hard  for  us  as  educators  to  admit  that 
the  failure  of  these  children  to  progress  in  their  school 
work  is  inherent  in  themselves.  There  are  perhaps  two 
reasons  for  this  reluctance.  fFirst,  we  have  all  been 
brought  up  on  the  American  doctrine  of  the  equality 
of  all  men.  While  this  doctrine  was  originally  a  pohtical 
one  and  related  solely  to  man's  position  before  the  law, 
that  all  men  have  equal  rights  to  life,  liberty,  and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness,  to  equal  opportunities,  we  have 
in  our  zeal  carried  it  over  to  his  intellectual  qualities 
and  moral  perceptions,  and  we  have  tacitly  assumed 
that  all  men  have  the  same  capacity  for  intellectual 
development  (barring  possibly  the  idiot  and  the  so-called 
genius)  and  that  all  have  the  same  power  of  perceiving 
moral  principles. 

'Secondly,  we  have  become  justly  proud  of  our  educa- 
tional system.  The  great  mass  of  children  have  made 
such  progress,  and  have  so  well  used  the  opportunities 
that  we  have  provided  for  them,  that  we  have  naturally, 


INTRODUCTION 

if  perhaps  thoughtlessly,  concluded  that  if  any  child 
did  not  improve  those  opportunities  it  was  because  of 
viciousness,  laziness,  or  some  other  quality  which  he 
might  change  if  he  would. 

There  are  still  those  who  do  not  admit  the  doctrine 
of  intellectual  levels,  which  teaches  that  there  are  many 
levels  of  intelligence,  that  each  individual  grows  to  his 
level  and  then  stops,  and  that  while  the  majority  attain 
at  least  to  what  we  call  the  adult  level,  there  are  some 
who  never  attain  to  a  level  higher  than  that  of  a  child. 
We  know,  to  be  sure,  that  a  three-year-old  child  has  what 
we  may  call  three-year  judgment;  or  perhaps  we  prefer 
to  say  that  he  has  no  judgment.  What  we  have  not 
realized  is  that  while  a  nine-year-old  child  might  have 
nine-year  judgment,  if  his  mental  development  should  stop 

1  there,  he  would  never  have  more  than  nine-year  judgment, 
no  matter  how  long  he  should  live.  And  that  is  exactly 
what  happens  in  many  cases.  There  are  two  sorts  of 
facts  which  will  convince  any  one  who  will  look  into 
them  of  the  truth  of  this  doctrine. 

/^irst,  there  are  our  institutions  for  the  feeble-minded. 
Let  the  questioner  visit  these  institutions  and  he  will  be 
convinced  that  there  really  are  persons  who  never  develop 
mentally  beyond  children  of  about  twelve  years  of  age. 
r  Secondly,  there  is  the  history  of  educational  methods. 
The  problem  of  the  dull  child  has  always  been  with  us, 
and  repeatedly  some  educational  genius  is  divulging  a 
new  method  to  cope  with  it.  For  a  time,  at  least,  the 
inventor  of  this  method  believes  that  he  has  solved  the 
problem  and  that  henceforth  there  are  to  be  no  more 
dullards  in  his  school.  As  far  back  as  the  history  of 
education  runs,  we  find  one  panacea  after  another  for 
the  cure  of  this  malady.  We  have  had  Froebel  and 
Pestalozzi,  the  Batavia  system,  the    Gary  system,  the 


INTRODUCTION 

Montessori  method,  and  while  all  of  these  systems  mark 
progress  in  our  educational  procedure  and  while  our 
schools  have  been  more  efficient  because  of  the  intro- 
duction of  these  newer  ideas,  yet  the  dullard  is  still  with 
us.  No  amount  of  individual  instruction,  no  special 
method,  has  ever  cured  the  dullards  as  a  class.  There 
have  been  instances  of  children  who  are  slow  and  dull 
for  a  period  and  after  a  time  suddenly  arouse  themselves, 
or  are  aroused  or  appealed  to  by  some  particular  teacher 
or  some  method,  and  who  turn  out  normally  bright,  or 
even  more  than  normally  bright.  But  when  we  take  the 
statistics  these  cases  are  relatively  few  and  widely  sepa- 
rated, —  so  much  so  that  we  are  compelled  in  all  fairness 
to  admit  that  they  were  probably  not  even  the  exceptions 
that  proved  the  rule.  They  were  cases  of  mistaken 
diagnosis;  the  child  was  only  apparently  dull,  not  in- 
trinsically so. 

Unfortimately,  we  never  until  recently  had  any  means 
of  determining  mental  status  to  a  degree  that  even 
approached  accuracy.  This  is  no  longer  the  case.  We 
now  have  adequate  mental  tests  whereby  we  may  measure 
the  mind's  development.  While  as  yet  these  tests  are 
not  so  thoroughly  standardized  that  we  can  always  say 
with  certainty  that  the  child  is  of  exactly  a  certain  mental 
level,  yet  with  them  trained  users  find  it  not  difficult  to 
determine  the  mental  age  with  an  accuracy  sufficient  for 
practical  purposes.  What  is  the  normal  limit  of  variation, 
or  in  other  words,  how  much  retardation  spells  positive 
mental  defect,  or  means  that  the  growth  of  the  intelligence 
has  stopped,  is  still  somewhat  uncertain;  but,  allowing 
a  certain  leeway  until  this  point  is  more  accurately  de- 
termined, we  are  still  in  possession  of  enough  facts  to 
settle  with  certainty  the  status  of  probably  90  per  cent 
of  backward  children.    A  large  majority  of  the  remaining 

Cxi] 


INTRODUCTION 

10  per  cent  need  only  be  left  in  the  doubtful  class  for 
a  year  or  two  until  time  has  shown  where  they  belong. 

It  is  inevitable  that  a  great  deal  of  bad  logic  should 
creep  into  all  discussion  of  this  whole  problem  of  mental 
development,  and  there  are  those  who,  when  they  have 
admitted  that  a  child  is  feeble-minded,  conclude  that  there 
is  nothing  to  be  done  for  it.  We  hear  the  complaint, 
"Why  waste  the  public-school  money  on  these  children 
who  can  never  amount  to  anything?"  That  they  never 
amount  to  anything  is  a  false  assumption.  The  feeble- 
minded child  who  is  of  sufficient  mentality  to  go  to  the 
public  school  not  only  can  but  will  amount  to  something. 
The  seriousness  of  the  situation  lies  in  the  fact  that  unless 
it  is  very  carefully  and  wisely  trained,  this  child  will 
amount  to  a  criminal,  a  thief,  a  prostitute,  a  drunkard, 
or  some  other  kind  of  anti-social  being.  No  feeble- 
minded child  is  by  nature  any  one  of  these,  and  it  is 
almost  certain  that  a  great  proportion  of  them  can  be 
so  trained  that  they  will  never  fall  into  any  one  of  these 
groups. 

These  facts  make  clear  what  is  the  special  problem 
of  the  public  school  in  the  case  of  the  dull,  backward 
child.  These  children  lack  the  power  of  abstract  thought.^ 
They  cannot  deal  with  abstractions,  hence  they  can 
never  develop  moral  principles  as  such.  This  sounds 
hopeless,  and  would  be  hopeless  were  it  not  for  one  thing. 
Fortunately  there  is  one  power  that  comes  in  to  save  the 
day  —  the  power  of  habit.  These  children,  if  trained 
in  fixed  habits,  —  habits  of  conduct,  habits  of  health 
and  hygiene,  habits  of  activity  and  work,  —  become 
happy,  harmless,  and  even  helpful  persons.  How  shall 
these  habits  be  fixed  upon  them.?^ 

The  question  of  how  defective  children  shall  be  trained 
in  the  public  schools  has  never  received  the  careful  at- 

Cxu] 


INTRODUCTION 

tent  ion  that  the  subject  merits.  The  whole  problem 
has  come  upon  us  so  suddenly  that  we  have  not  had  time 
to  work  out  the  details.  In  practice  we  have  worked  out 
our  methods  by  a  trial-and-error  procedure,  modifying 
them  step  by  step  as  our  failures  compelled  us  or  as  a 
little  better  understanding  pointed  to  a  better  method. 

When  first  we  began  to  admit  that  these  children 
were  naturally  dull,  not  simply  vicious  or  lazy  or  indolent, 
and  when  we  consequently  gave  up  trying  to  compel 
them  by  fear  of  punishment  or  other  constraining  method 
to  do  the  work  of  the  regular  grade,  our  first  conclusion 
was  that  it  was  only  necessary  to  give  them  more  time. 
This  was  the  theory  acted  upon  not  only  in  the  public 
schools  but  even  in  some  institutions  for  the  feeble- 
minded. I  have  before  me  the  report  of  such  an  institu- 
tion dated  a  number  of  years  ago,  in  which  the  statement 
is  made  that  the  school  work  in  that  institution  is  as 
near  like  the  public-school  course  of  study  for  normal 
children  as  it  can  be  made,  and  is  practically  the  same 
except  that  it  requires  more  time.  As  experience  proved 
that  this  theory  was  an  error,  and  that  no  matter  how 
much  time  they  had,  defective  children  could  not  do 
the  work,  institutional  schools  gave  less  attention  to 
the  usual  academic  studies  and  finally  arrived  at  the 
point  where  most  such  schools  have  stopped;  namely ,\ 
about  half  the  time  should  be  devoted  to  academic  work* 
and  the  other  haK  to  manual  training. 

This  combination  of  academic  work  and  manual  train- 
ing has  worked  so  much  better  than  anything  ever  before 
tried  that  as  a  rule  we  have  failed  to  see  that  even  this 
plan  is  not  satisfactory.  It  has  worked  fairly  well  in 
the  schoolroom,  and  we  do  not  follow  the  children  out 
into  life  with  suflicient  persistence  and  accuracy  to  find 
out  whether  or  not  our  schoolroom  methods  have  actually. 

[xiii] 


INTRODUCTION 

prepared  them  for  life.  Of  course  the  most  logical  thing 
to  do  would  have  been  to  find  out  the  exact  nature  of 
the  mentally  defective  child  and  plan  a  course  of  training 
that  was  adapted  to  that  nature.  Unfortunately  we 
could  not  come  to  this  procedure  earlier,  probably  be- 
cause, as  above  stated,  we  have  not  discovered  the  extent 
of  our  failure,  and  secondly  because  not  enough  was 
known  about  the  actual  nature  of  the  feeble-minded  child. 

In  situations  like  this  it  almost  always  happens  that 
some  seer  arises  who  brings  to  bear  upon  the  situation 
that  quick  intuition  which  sometimes  characterizes  the 
genius,  and  such  a  person  proceeds  to  solve  the  problem 
for  us.  The  genius  in  this  case  is  the  author  of  this 
book.  Miss  Meta  L.  Anderson.  Instead  of  trying  to 
get  at  the  defective  child  by  reaching  from  above  down, 
she  steps  down  at  once  to  "where  he  is"  and  plans  her 
work  on  his  level.  Others  may  have  caught  some 
glimpses  of  the  truth,  and  may  have  for  one  reason  or 
another  worked  into  their  practice  certain  elements 
which  are  also  used  by  Miss  Anderson.  Perhaps  still 
others  have  seen  the  whole  plan  clearly  but  have  not 
had  the  opportimity  of  working  it  out.  At  least  it  has 
remained  for  Miss  Anderson  to  work  out  a  complete 
program  free  from  all  tradition  of  the  methods  with 
normal  children,  and  based  only  on  the  needs  of  the 
children  in  her  care,  the  procedure  being  constantly 
modified  and  corrected  by  the  results. 

Nowhere,  so  far  as  the  writer  is  aware,  has  the  problem 
been  so  thoroughly  worked  out  and  a  course  of  training 
evolved  so  perfectly  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  men- 
tality of  the  children  and  marked  by  such  a  complete 
appreciation  of  those  needs,  as  in  Miss  Anderson's  schools 
in  Newark,  New  Jersey.  Miss  Anderson  long  ago  gave 
up  that  will-o'-the-wisp,  still  shining  more  or  less  bril- 

[xiv] 


INTRODUCTION 

liantly  for  many  teachers  of  defective  children,  that  the 
end  and  aim  of  the  work  shall  be  to  make  these  children 
normal  and  eventually  to  teach  them  the  regular  school 
studies.  Experience  taught  her  that  this  was  seldom, 
if  ever,  to  be  accomplished,  but  rather  that  these  were 
children  with  very  definite  mental  limitations  and  that 
they  would  never  be  able  to  do  more  than  make  a  meager 
living,  that  they  must  always  be  under  the  guidance  and 
idirection  of  a  more  intelhgent  person.  Therefore  the 
(one  thing  to  do  for  them  was  to  train  them  to  do  some 
simple  thing  which  would  be  useful.  If  a  boy  has 
barely  sufficient  mentality  to  become  an  assistant  janitor, 
it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  train  him  to  be  a  janitor,  but 
we  are  wise  when  we  train  him  to  be  the  assistant.  If 
a  girl  has  only  sufficient  mentality  to  become  a  cook's 
assistant,  it  is  folly  to  try  to  make  a  cook  of  her. 

This  is  the  great  truth  which  Miss  Anderson  has  learned, 
and  it  is  the  principle  upon  which  she  has  worked.  First 
Wiscover  the  mental  capacity  of  the  pupil  and  then  train 
/him  for  some  occupation  within  his  limits.  Furthermore, 
choose,  wherever  possible,  something  for  which  there  is  a 
demand  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  he  is  likely  to  live. 

The  results  of  the  years  of  study,  experimenting,  and 
practical  working  out  of  this  problem  in  the  Newark 
schools  are  set  forth  in  this  volume,  based,  as  we  have 
already  intimated,  upon  the  only  sound  principle.  Being 
the  result  of  actual  schoolroom  practice,  the  method 
described  in  this  book  should  be  the  guide  for  teachers 
of  defectives  for  many  years  to  come. 

The  author  has^  wisely  confined  herself  to  a  general 
view  of  the  method,  preferring  to  give  the  teacher  a 
comprehension  of  the  system  rather  than  to  risk  con- 
fusing and  discouraging  her  by  a  multiplicity  of  details. 
The  teacher  who  opens  this  book  expecting  to  find  minute 


INTRODUCTION 

directions  for  making  a  table,  preparing  soup,  weaving  a 
basket,  or  giving  setting-up  exercises,  is  siu-e  to  be  dis- 
appointed. The  book  is  intended  primarily  for  teachers 
of  initiative,  originality,  and  executive  ability;  for  teachers 
of  sufficient  intelligence  and  appreciation  of  the  problem 
to  read  the  book  and,  catching  the  spirit  and  general 
plan,  to  be  able  to  work  out  the  details  to  fit  their  own 
conditions;  for  teachers  who  recognize  that  this  plan  fits 
the  nature  of  defective  children  in  our  schools  better 
than  anything  that  has  ever  been  proposed.  To  such 
teachers  the  book  will  be  a  godsend. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  introduction  without  some 
further  emphasis  upon  the  spirit  which  underlies  this 
program,  for  if  that  is  missed,  the  book  becomes  no  more 
than  another  volume  added  to  the  long  list  of  "methods." 
It  is  difficult  to  characterize  by  language  the  under- 
lying thought  of  a  great  discoverer.  One  who  sees  Miss 
Anderson  at  work  in  her  schools  feels,  rather  than  ex- 
Dresses  in  words,  what  she  is  doing.  It  is  a  spirit  of 
^helpfulness,  of  happiness,  of  humanity.  It  is  something 
of  the  spirit  which  actuates  the  philanthropic  bodies  of 
the  present  day  who  are  taking  the  wreckage  from  the 
war.  Here,  for  instance,  is  the  man  who  has  lost  his 
sight.  It  is  not  a  question  of  training  him  to  see,  but  a 
question  of  taking  him  as  he  is.  There  are  things  that 
he  can  do;  let  us  find  them  and  help  him  to  do  them. 
Or  here  is  the  man  with  his  legs  shot  off.  It  is  not  a  ques- 
tion of  training  him  to  walk,  but  a  question  of  finding 
something  for  him  to  do  that  he,  with  his  Umited  powers 
of  locomotion,  can  attain  to.  So  with  the  defective 
children.  They  are  lacking  in  various  mental  processes. 
It  is  not  a  question  of  restoring  those  processes,  but  one 
of  finding  what  they  can  do  with  their  limited  intelligence, 
and  then  training  them  to  do  that  thing. 

[xvij 


INTRODUCTION 

Moreover,  the  defect  once  recognized,  nothing  more 
need  be  said  about  it.  Neither  the  child  nor  his  family 
needs  to  be  reminded  that  he  is  defective.  We  do  not 
say  what  he  can  not  do;  we  constantly  impress  the  fact 
that  there  are  things  that  he  can  do,  and  we  train  him 
toward  these  things.  It  is  this  spirit  that  solves  the 
problem  which  is  usually  such  a  bugaboo  to  boards  of 
education  when  they  consider  establishing  these  special 
classes.  They  are  afraid  parents  will  object  to  the  classes, 
and  in  some  cases  parents  have  made  trouble.  We 
have  just  indicated  the  difficulty,  —  too  much  emphasis 
is  laid  upon  what  the  children  can  not  do.  Turn  about! 
Lay  the  stress  upon  what  they  can  do  and  do  do!  Better 
than  all,  train  them  so  that  they  go  home  and  do  some- 
thing useful,  and  parents  are  satisfied. 

This  work  of  Miss  Anderson's  settles  also  the  question 
of  the  special  school  as  against  the  special  class.  The 
spirit  of  cooperation  and  helpfulness  developed  in  the 
special  school,  to  say  nothing  of  the  possibilities  of  grad- 
ing and  classifying,  is  one  of  the  vital  factors  in  all  training 
of  defectives.  In  short,  in  these  schools,  and  by  these 
methods,  the  teachers  work  with  a  group  of  little  human 
beings  whose  human  interests  and  human  needs  are 
provided  for,  and  who  are  trained  as  fully  as  their  limited 
human  capacity  will  permit. 

While  this  book  is  far  from  being  the  last  word  on  the 
training  of  defectives,  it  nevertheless  sounds  the  keynote 
for  all  such  work,  and  however  much  the  work  may  be 
modified  or  enlarged  in  the  future,  it  will  still  be  in  harmony 
with  the  principles  here  laid  down,  just  as  these  principles 
are  in  harmony  with  the  nature  of  the  defective  child. 

Henry  H.  Goddard 


[[xvii  J 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES  IN 
THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 
IN  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

CHAPTER  ONE 

Introduction 

TEACHERS  have  always  heard  it  said  that  any 
one  can  teach  a  bright  child,  but  that  it  takes  an 
expert  to  teach  a  stupid  one.  Until  recently  they  have 
accepted  this  dictum  as  final  and  have  tried  to  promote 
all  children  in  their  classes.  Still,  as  time  went  on,  it 
became  evident  that  one  group  of  children  did  not  learn 
under  any  teacher's  instruction.  Much  attention  was 
given  to  this  group  by  principals  and  school  authorities, 
who  realized  that  more  unusual  methods  must  be  followed 
if  these  children  were  to  gain  anything  from  their  school 
activities. 

So  much  attention  has  been  paid  of  late  to  this  group 
of  stupid  children,  so  called,  that  citizens  and  even 
educators   are   complaining;    altogether   too    , 

...  Attention 

large  a  share   of   attention  is  paid  to  the   attracted  to  the 
child  who  cannot  learn,  they  tell  us,  while   child  who  was 

not  learning 

the    child  who    can,    the    normal    child,    is 

being  neglected.     Can  the  schools,  however,  stop  paying 

attention  to  the  defective  child  if  they  would? 

When  there  is  a  defective  child  in  the  home,  that  child 
gets  the  bulk  of  the  attention  from  his  family  because 
he  requires  it.     He  has  to  be  washed,  dressed, 

,  -__  „  _.  '  _  Attention  paid 

and  even  fed,  long  after  his  normal  brother   to  the  defective 
of  the  same  age  is  able  to  care  for  himseK.    child  in  the 

.  .  .  home 

Money  is  spent  on  him  out  of  all  proportion 

to  his  share  of  the  family  income.    He  is  taken  to  the 

most  expensive  doctors,  in  the  hope,  too  often  vain,  of 

E13 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

his  being  restbred' to  normal  mentality.  In  these  and 
nifaiy  kj(tli,et  wa^s.  he  receives  an  undue  amount  of  care 
and  attentibii  'from'  the  members  of  the  family,  not  be- 
cause they  love  him  more  than  the  other  children,  but 
because  his  condition  demands  their  constant  attention. 

When  the  child  is  old  enough  to  go  to  school,  he  again 
secures  attention  out  of  proportion  to  his  importance. 
Attention  paid  ^^^  again  uot  bccausc  he  is  liked  better  than 
to  the  defective  the  Other  children,  but  because  his  condition 
child  in  school    j^jj^g^j^ds  ij-      jf  j^^  \^q  ^^  active  child,   he 

probably  distiu-bs  his  class  and  becomes  a  disciplinary 
case.  The  teacher  must  keep  him  in  mind  and  watch 
him  constantly,  so  that  she  can  teach  the  rest  of  her  class 
in  comfort.  As  a  troublesome  child  he  is  often  sent  to 
the  principal,  who  spends  much  time  needed  in  other  work 
in  trying  to  discipUne  him. 

If  a  defective  child  be  an  apathetic  case,  he  probably 
does  not  take  up  so  much  of  the  teacher's  or  principal's 
time  during  the  term;  but  at  promotion  time  he  is  the 
subject  of  conferences  and  discussions  between  teacher 
and  principal.  He  is  again  receiving  an  undue  amount 
of  attention  in  the  school,  not  because  he  is  so  important, 
but  because  his  condition  demands  it. 

When  this  child  is  through  school  he  receives  attention 
from  the  charity  organizations,  not  because 

Attention  ,  .  .     i    •      i  •         ,      .    i 

given  the  they  are  more  interested  m  him,  but  because 

defective  child    }^g  ^Q^g  ^^^  make  good  and  needs  their  help. 

by  the  courts  .  •        p  i  .     i 

He  receives  attention  irom  the  courts  because 
he  does  not  react  in  society  in  a  normal  way. 

Thus  in  the  home,  in  the  school,  and  in  society  the 
defective  child  is  costing  extra  time  and  attention  be- 
cause of  his  condition;  and  just  so  long  as  there  are 
defective  children  in  the  world  such  children  will  receive 
special  attention  from  the  home,   from  the  school,  and 

C2] 


INTRODUCTION 

from  society.    The  schools  particularly  are  giving  serious 
consideration  to  the  education  of  these  special  children. 

Since  the  work  with  defective  or  feeble-minded  children 
as  a  public-school  problem  is  so  new  throughout  the 
country,  whatever  is  being  done  for  them  Experimental 
in  the  public  schools  is  of  course  largely  nature  of  work 
experimental,  and  often  what  in  one  year  ^"^  defectives 
is  considered  the  final  word  in  the  training  of  defectives 
must  be  discarded  the  following  year.  This  is  very 
aptly  illustrated  by  the  story  vouched  for  as  true  of  a 
certain  superintendent,  who  spent  one  year  in  sending 
out  reports  of  work  done  in  his  city  and  spent  the  next 
year  in  recalling  them.  However,  experiments  have 
been  made  in  the  public  schools  of  Germany,  England, 
and  our  own  country  which,  if  they  have  not  always 
shown  us  what  to  do,  at  least  have  shown  us  what  not 
to  do.  We  read  in  a  Berlin  report  the  following:  "We 
propose  to  bring  him  (the  defective)  back  into  association 
with  normal  children  as  soon  as  possible,  —  that  is,  to 
replace  special  instruction  with  regular  instruction  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment." 

This  expressed  the  plan  of  the  authorities  everywhere 
when  the  movement  for  special  classes  for  defectives  was 
first  started.  This  plan  failed:  by  failure  Failure  of 
is  meant  that  no  defective  was  found  to  be  ®^^y  p^*°^ 
able  to  return  to  the  regular  grade  and  successfully  com- 
pete with  normal  children.  The  German  Hilfsschulen 
have  long  since  given  up  the  thought  of  returning  their 
pupils  to  the  regular  grades. 

The  plan   then  changed  from  that  of  restoring  the 
defective  children  to  normal  work  to  that  of  keeping 
them  more  or  less  permanently  in  the  special   Failure  of 
class  and  giving  them  regular  grade  work,   ^**®'  p^*°^ 
only  at  a  much  slower  pace.     To  quote  Shuttleworth  on 

C3] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

this  plan:  "The  system  of  special  instruction  for  men- 
tally defective  children  carried  on  under  the  act  of  1899 
has  necessarily  imdergone  considerable  modification  in 
the  course  of  its  development.  In  the  early  days  of 
its  organization  there  was  perhaps  a  tendency  to  model 
too  much  on  the  Unes  of  the  infant  school,  with  which 
both  teachers  and  inspectors  were  practically  familiar. 
Experience,  however,  soon  convinced  those  in  the  work 
that  between  the  normal  infant  of  five  and  the  *  crys- 
tallized infant'  of  ten  there  were  essential  differences, 
which  had  to  be  provided  for  in  the  curriculum;  and  as 
time  went  on  the  paramoxmt  importance  of  hand  work 
was  increasingly  recognized." 

We   usually   speak   of   the   children   in   the   defective 

classes  as  having  the  mentality  of  a  normal  child  of  from 

two  to  twelve  years  (probably  no  defective 

chUdren  in        child   has   a   mentality   above   that   of   the 

the  defective      normal   twclvc-year-old) .     So   it   is   evident 

classes 

that  the  special  schools  deal  with  young 
children,  even  though  these  children  may  be  as  old  as 
twenty  years  chronologically.  It  might  at  first  appear 
that  the  regular  school  curriculum  for  children  up  to 
twelve  years  of  age  would  be  suitable  for  the  defective 
children  of  the  same  mentality.  It  must  be  remembered, 
however,  that  while  we  speak  of  a  defective  child  having 
a  given  mentality,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  the  de- 
fective can  compete  in  all  things  with  a  normal  child  of 
the  same  mentaUty.  The  advantage  is  always  with  the 
normal  child. 


043 


CHAPTER  TWO 

Selection  of  the  Children 

THE  ideal  way  to  select  children  for  the  defective 
or  backward  classes  would  be  to  have  every  child 
in  a  given  school  or  school  system  examined  by  intelli- 
gence tests  and  graded  accordingly.  Those  retarded 
three  years  or  more  would  be  placed  in  weai  plan  for 
classes   for    defectives,    those    retarded  two   selection  of 

,        -  ,        ,  ,     children  sent 

years    or    more    in    backward    classes,    and   to  special 
doubtful  cases  in  observation  classes.     While   cesses 
this  plan  might  easily  be  followed  in  very  small  school 
systems,  it  is  obviously  difficult  in  a  community  of  large 
size  because  of  the  great  number  of  expert  workers  it 
would  require. 

The  next  best  plan,  perhaps,  is  to  make  an  investi- 
gation of  every  over-age  child  in  a  school  system,  to 
determine  the  cause  of  such  backwardness,*^  ^^  j^^^ 
from  this  group  select  those  who  are  defi-   for  a  smau 
nitely  defective,  and  place  them  in  special   ^^°°^  system 
classes.     This  plan  could  be  carried  out  very  profitably 
in  a  system  which  has  a  school  population  of  25,000  or  ' 
less.     Even  in  a  system  of  that  size,  to  do  the  work  with 
reasonable  care  would  require  an  experienced  person  to 
supervise  the  work  of  the  classes  and  an  assistant  who 
is  an  expert  in  using  intelligence  tests,  to  report  on  the 
over-age  children. 

The  makeshift  plan  which  is  generally  used  in  larger 
school  systems  with  a  fair  degree  of  success,  as  far  as  it 
goes,  is  to  have  the  principal  make  a  Hst  of  The  usual  plan 
the  children  in  his  school  who  are  not  only  ^  ^«®  ^***®^ 
old  for  their  grade  but,  as  far  as  he  can  determine,  are 
not  profiting  from  ordinary  school  work.  The  children 
on  this  list  are  then  reported  to  a  person  employed  for 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

the  purpose,  who  investigates  each  case  and  recommends 
\  for  a  defective  class  every  child  whom  recognized  in- 


TYPICAL  CHART   FOR  NORMAL  CHILD 
F«f«80         PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  OF  NEWARK,  N.  J*       Dept.  Special  Classes 
Progress  Card  olSXlMyCL-'^S.^ SchooL/£v;==:.....Boro.&r/-.f?& 

Gradea.^...D«te  of  first  cixneL.T.^T.-rl^.MentiA  A^JL^.-TeHed  hyJ3yjLJLj,.CL.%..^ 

Geog.   HUt.   Wrir.   Draw.   Spell.   Lang.   Road.  Numb.  Music   Play  M.  Tr.  g*»-  ^fgY?"  ^^^' 


Age  Or.  < 

13 

7A 

12 

7B 

12 

6A 

II 

6B 

11 

5A 

10 

5B 

9 

4A 

9 

48 

8 

3A 

8 

38 

7 

2A 

7 

28 

6 

lA 

6 

IB 

Date  of  enteriog  Special  Class.... — .^...........Left.. 


..Write  cause  of  leaving  oa 


opposite  side  of  card.     Do  not  show  this  card  to  any  Pupil. 

Directions.  This  card  must  be  filled  out  by  the  principal  for  every  applicant  for 
a  seat  in  a  special  class.  If  the  pupil  can  do  work  equal  to  6A  Lang.,  4B  Read.,  etc., 
place  a  X  at  the  intersection  of  the  6A  and  the  Lang,  lines  and  at  the  intersection  of 
the  4B  and  Read,  lines,  etc.  Connect  these  X's  with  straight  lines.  Figures  to  the 
right  have  reference  to  conduct.  14  is  excellent,  1  is  very  poor,  7  medium,  etc.  Check 
the  number  which  describes  the  child's  conduct. 

telligence  tests  show  to  be  three  years  or  more  below 
normal  mentality. 

The  children  thus  selected  are  also  examined  by  the 
regular  school  medical  inspectors,  who  determine  their 
Medical  physical  condition.     It  would  no  doubt  be 

examination  much  better  to  havc  one  inspector  examine 
for  physical  defects  all  the  children  recommended  for 
defective  classes.  However,  it  is  usually  impossible  to 
get  one  physician  who  would  give  so  much  of  his  time 

[6] 


SELECTION   OF  THE   CHILDREN 


to  the  work,  and  it  would  require  at  least  all  the  school 
hours  of  the  day  for  him  to  do  the  work  with  care. 


TYPICAL  CHART  FOR  DEFECTIVE  CHILD 

Fo«80  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  OF  NEWARK,  N.  J.        Dept.  Special  Classes 

Progres.  Card  oi  ..^JiMXPaJL  t  .JuQ.J^ School Jak-rra—.Born.6=/.  JLt.AS 

Grade Hm.... Date  of  first  curve triZt3.t/jd*Mental  Age.51-. Tested  by-Zta..  £..J0L^ J 


Age  Gr.  Ge. 

■>g.  Hi 

rt.  W 

rit.    Dr 

,w.   Sp 

eU.    U 

ng.   R 

Bad.  Nu 

mb.  M 

uaic   P 

ay  M. 

Tr.S 

SC«i 

r 

12      7B  - 

n 

11      6B  - 

I" 

II      5A- 

/-- 

/ 

9     4B- 

4\ 

8 
— -    7 

8     3A  - 

-*- 

V 



f 

6 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

5 

7     2B- 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

3 

6     lA- 
6      IB  J 

-—  2 
1 

Date  oi  entering  Special  Claw Left. 


—Write  cause  of  leaving  on 


opposite  side  of  card.     Do  ool  shew  this  card  to  any  Pupil, 

Directions.  This  card  must  be  filled  out  by  the  principal  for  every  applicant  for 
a  seat  in  a  special  class.  If  the  pupil  can  do  work  equal  to  ()A  Lang.,  4B  Kead.,  etc., 
place  a  X  at  the  intersection  of  the  6A  and  the  Lang,  lines  and  at  the  intersection  of 
the  4B  and  Read,  lines,  etc.  Connect  these  X's  with  straight  lines.  Figures  to  the 
right  have  reference  to  conduct.  14  is  excellent,  1  is  very  poor,  7  medium,  etc.  Check 
the  number  which  describes  the  child's  conduct. 

In  every  doubtful  case  the  physical  defects  ought  to 
be  taken  care  of  before  the  child  is  placed  in  a  defective 
class.     In  obvious  cases  the  child  ought  to   physical 
be  placed  in  a  special  class  where  the  teacher   defects 
and  nurse,  having  smaller  groups  to  handle,    *^°""®*^*®* 
can  more  effectively  and  quickly  see  that  each  case  has 
proper  care  and  attention. 

A  blank  form  is  filled  out  by  the  principal  for  each 
pupil  to  be  investigated. 

C7] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

Newark  uses  the  above  form  because  it  gives  the  most 

information  in  the  simplest  manner.     From  such  a  chart 

one  gets  a  picture  of  the  child  in  a  graphic 

Form  fflled  °  _5^  i  .,  i    i        t    .     i  •        i.  , 

cut  to  give  manner.  It  a  cnild  be  listed  as  m  rourth 
picture  of  grade,  or  fifth  grade,  for  instance,  the  ques- 

tion immediately  arises  whether  he  is  there 
because  of  his  age,  or  because  he  can  learn  as  much  —  or 
rather  as  little  —  there  as  he  can  anywhere  else.  With 
a  chart  like  the  above  the  teacher's  actual  estimate  of 
the  pupil,  indorsed  by  the  principal,  is  given. 

The  child's  mental  age  is  filled  in  after  the  teacher's 
estimate  curve  is  drawn  on  the  card;  and  it  has  been 
gratifying  to  find  that  the  intelligence  tests  have  usually 
corroborated  the  teacher's  judgment  of  the  children  —  or 
the  teacher's  judgment  has  been  found  to  corroborate 
the  tests,  whichever  you  please. 

Does  the  plan  usually  followed  get  all  the  defective 

children  into  the  special  classes?     No,  it  does  not,,   It 

can  be   said   without  fear  of   contradiction 

defectives  that   under   the   above  plan   only   defective 

found  by  children  are  assigned  to  the  special  classes. 

this  plan  ^_  ii<»i  ii»«i  i 

The  doubtful  cases  are  leit  in  the  regular 
grades  or  placed  in  classes  for  backward  children,  as  the 
principal  directs. 

It  is  true  that  many  defectives  are  rejected  as  can- 
didates for  the  special  classes  and  continue  to  remain 
Many  true  ^^  ^^^  grades  bccausc  they  do  not  show  at 
defectives  an  early  age  full  three  years'   retardation, 

rejected  Thus  it  happens  that  children  rejected  at 

one  time  may  be  accepted  at  a  later  period  when  the 
full  three  years'  or  more  retardation  is  noted. 

When  the  children  have  been  selected  and  recommended 
for  the  special  schools  or  classes,  the  next  step  is  dealing 
with  the  parents.    Very  many  parents  cHng  to  the  forlorn 

C8] 


SELECTION  OF  THE  CHILDREN 

hope  that  mingling  with  normal  children  will  lessen  the 
abnormality  of  their  own  child.    They  think   Attitude  of 
that   because    they  like    to  see  him  among   parents 
bright  children  it  must  be  best  for  him  to  be  there. 

The  person  to  interview  the  parents  and  explain  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  special  instruction  is  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  school  which  the  child  selected  for  the  special 
class  has  been  attending.  Presumably  the  principal  has 
the  parents'  confidence,  and  they  will  probably  be  will- 
ing to  trust  to  his  judgment  and  agree  at  least  to  try  the 
special  instruction  for  a  while. 

This  plan  sounds  extremely  simple,  but  it  succeeds 
surprisingly  often,  especially  if  the  child  has  been  a 
so-called  incorrigible.  In  that  case  the  first  marked 
good  result  of  special-class  instruction  is  very  apt  to 
be  better  behavior,  greater  interest  in  school,  and  less 
truancy.  All  of  this,  of  course,  gives  a  respite  to  the 
parents,  who  come  to  look  upon  the  special  class  as  some- 
thing that  has  relieved  them  of  considerable  worry. 

Great   tact  and  care   are   needed   when   interviewing 
parents.     Some   parents   are   themselves   feeble-minded; 
others  are  ignorant  and  do  not  understand   ^^^  problem 
why  the  regular  schools  do  not  want  to  keep   of  convincing 
their  child.     They  often  feel  that  the  teacher   ^^^^^ 
or    principal  has    a  special  grudge  against  their    child. 
Many  parents  are  most  sensitive  about  their  child  who 
is  "different."    The  feeble-minded  parents  do  not  pre- 
sent a  problem    when    it    comes    to  transferring    their 
children    (the    plural    is   used   advisedly)    to   a   special 
school   or   class.      The   ignorant   and   sensitive   parents 
do  present   a   problem.      The  ignorant  parent  will  say, 
"I  can't  read  and  write,  but  I  want  my  boy  to  have 
an  education.     The  school  must  give  it  to  him."     Noth- . 
ing  will  convince  him  that  the  boy  cannot  take  an  edu- 

C93 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

cation  as  he  understands  it.     There  is  but  one  thing  to 
do,  and  that  is  tactfully  and  patiently  to  meet  each  in-  • 
terview  with  the  truth,  knowing  absolutely  that  before 
the  end  of  the  child's  school  career  an  unhappy  disillu- 
sionment will  surely  come. 

The  sensitive  parents  object  to  having  their  children 
in  the  defective  classes  because  they  do  not  want  any  one 
to  know  they  have  a  child  who  is  different  from  other 
children.  It  is  necessary  to  convince  them  that  a  child 
who  really  is  a  defective  remains  a  defective  no  matter 
where  you  place  him;  that  he  is  even  more  noticeably 
defective  in  a  class  with  bright  children  than  when  placed 
among  his  own  kind. 

One  day,  a  little  girl  in  a  defective  class  was  acting  as 
an  interpreter.  The  teacher  concluded  that  she  was 
_  saying  much  more  to  the  visiting  parent  than 

Defective  i  111  .  i        t      i 

child's  attitude   shc  was  Called  upou  to  mterpret  and  asked, 
toward  the         "Lena,  what  are  you  saying  now?"     Lena 

special  school  t      1        «r-ki  t  ^  ^^• 

replied,      Un,    1    am   only   telling   her   how 

smart  we  all  got  since  we've  been  here."     And  that  is 

just  what  the  parents  of  a  defective  must  realize,  that  the 

.subnormal  children  come  into  their  own  when  trained 

\vith  children  of  their  own  sort  and  in  the  kind  of  work 

which  they  can  be  taught. 

It  may  be  necessary  even  to  use  more  than  moral  sua- 
sion and  force  the  parents  to  send  the  defective  children 
Arbitrary  *^  ^^  classcs  or  schools  provided  at  great 

rules  may  be     expcusc  for  them,   where  they  receive  the 
necessary  ^^^^  ^j  instruction.     Besides  the  benefit  to 

the  defective  children,  there  is  to  be  considered  the  prog- 
ress of  the  other  children,  for  the  teachers  of  the  regular 
grades  are  thus  left  free  to  work  with  their  rightful  prob- 
ilem  —  the  normal  child  —  to  greater  advantagCi* 

Cio] 


CHAPTER  THREE 

The  Curriculum  of  the  Special  School 
FOR  Defectives 

SINCE  the  defective  child  of  a  given  mentality  does 
not  measure  up  in  all-round  development  to  the  nor- 
mal child  of  even  the  same  mentality,  it  is  evident  that 
whatever  we  teach  him  —  his  course  of  study  —  must 
be  planned  to  fit  him  better  how  to  live  and  must  take 
into  consideration  his  limitations. 

A  report  of  an  English  commission  on  the  care  and  con- 
trol of  the  feeble-minded  reads:    "Schooling  in  personal 
habits  was  found  to  be  the  first  step  in  edu- 
cation [of  the  defective].      Then  more  and   EngUsh 
more  it  was  evident  that  the  intelligence  was   commission 

.  on  curriculum 

roused  through  the  hands  and  eyes  working 
together  in  making  or  doing  some  actual  thing,  rather 
than  by  the  secondary  and  more  abstract  accomplishments 
of  reading  and  writing  and  arithmetic.  This  suggested 
great  changes  in  teaching.  And  now,  in  the  opinion  of 
many,  the  simple  occupations  of  the  earliest  years  of 
schooling  should  develop  into  systematic  industrial  train- 
ing, while  the  scholastic  teaching  should  become  entirely 
subordinate  and,  indeed,  in  some  cases  be  entirely  dis- 
continued." 

Tredgold    says,    "Industrial    and    technical    training, 
therefore,  is  at  once  an  educational  factor  of   xredgow 
considerable  importance,  as  well  as  the  only   quoted  on 
means  of  turning  these  unfortunate  children   *^^*^^^^*™ 
to  practical  account.'* 

Dr.   Goddard  describes  some  experiments  that  have 
been  tried  at  the  Vineland  Training  School   Dr.  Goddard's 
and  says  in  conclusion:    "It  is  a  mistake  to   op^«>»»s 
attempt  to  teach  mentally  defective  children  either  read- 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

ing  or  writing  or  number  work,  and  by  mentally  defective 
children  in  this  connection  we  mean  those  very  high  grades 
which  are  only  recognized  by  the  experts  —  those  who 
make  up  the  special  classes  and  the  Hilfsschulen.  .  .  . 

"Such  children  can  be  taught  to  do  a  great  deal  that 
looks  like  valuable  work.  They  can  make  combinations; 
they  can  go  through  a  form  of  reading;  they  can  do  a 
certain  amount  of  writing;  but  that  they  do  this  intel- 
ligently or  can  be  made  to  do  it  intelligently,  we  are  in- 
clined to  deny." 

In  the  same  paper  Dr.  Goddard  also  says:  "The  one 
thing  that  fits  all  these  children,  the  one  thing  that  draws 
out  whatever  is  to  be  drawn  out  of  them,  is  training  of 
the  hand,  —  manual  training,  industrial  trainingif  These 
things  such  children  can  do  with  wonderful  success;  in  this 
they  are  interested;  this  they  can  do  with  great  joy;  it 
arouses  in  them  a  feeling  of  satisfaction  at  accomplishing 
something.  Every  one  knows  this,  because  all  institu- 
tions and  all  special  classes  and  Hilfsschulen  devote  some 
time  to  this  sort  of  work.  The  only  reason  that  more 
of  it  is  not  done  is,  I  believe,  because  the  persons 
in  authority  look  upon  this  as  play,  and  not  as  men- 
tal development,  not  realizing  that  for  this  class  of 
children  it  is  the  only  thing  that  means  mental 
development." 

The  experts  all  agree  apparently  on  the  kind  of  work 
most  worth  while  to  teach  to  defective  children,  and  it  is 
Agreement  of  ^^  ^^'^  curriculum  approved  by  experts  that 
experts  on  the  work  in  the  classes  for  defectives  should 
curriculum  j^^  ^^^^  Therefore,  the  following  subjects 
should  be  included  in  the  course  of  study  for  the  classes 
for  defectives:  habits  of  personal  cleanliness,  sense  train- N 
ing,  manual  training,  physical  training,  vocational  and 
industrial    training,    gardening,    academic    work;     also 


CURRICULUM  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

speech  training  in  so  far  as  it  is  found  to  be  at  all  worth 
while. 

The  organization  of  the  school  for  defectives  calls  for 
three  departments:  (1)  the  kindergarten  department,  in 
which  the  children  are  of  the  mentality  ofu^ 

▼  Organlzatloii 

two,  three,  or  four  years;   (2)  the  department   ©f  special 
organized  on  the  departmental  plan,  in  which    ^f^°^^  ^°' 

,         ,  .,  ,  -     ,  1.  I.  ^  •         defectives 

the  children  are  of  the  mentality  of  five,  six, 
seven,  eight,  and  nine  years;  and  (3)  the  vocational  classes, 
in  which  are  trained  children  of  varying  mentality,  who 
are  getting  ready  to  leave  school  to  go  to  work.  Prac- 
tically the  same  subjects  are  found  in  all  groups,  but 
adapted  to  the  mentality  of  the  children  in  the  several 
departments,  after  the  same  fashion  that  reading  and 
arithmetic  are  found  in  all  grades  of  the  regular  schools, 
but  adapted  to  the  mentality  of  the  -  children  in  the 
several  grades. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  much  good  work  has  been 
done,  is  being  done,  and  will  be  done  in  special  classes 
for  defectives  located  in  the  regular  graded  Advantages  of 
schools.     It  likewise  cannot  be  denied  that   ^^^^°^  '**' 

111  1  defectives  over 

children  can  be  better  graded,  the  work  can  cUsses  for 
be  better  organized  and  systematized,  and  defectives 
more  can  be  accomplished  in  special  schools  for  defectives. 
The  principal  in  charge  of  a  school  for  defectives  is  a 
person  trained  in  that  line  of  work.  The  school  is  under 
expert  supervision  all  the  time.  In  a  special  school  each 
teacher  can  be  an  expert  in  her  special  line  of  work.  She 
can  be  and  should  be  as  well  trained  as  any  teacher  of  a 
special  branch  in  the  elementary  or  high  school  of  any 
school  system.  It  is  evident  that  better  work  can  be 
done  with  highly  trained  teachers  in  each  subject  than 
when  each  teacher  has  to  teach  every  subject  in  the 
curriculum. 

C131 


EDUCATION   OF   DEFECTIVES 

Type  op  Work  in  Special  Classes  Correlated  with  Tredgold*s 
AND  Goddard's  Classifications 


Tredgold 

Goddard 

Type  of  Work  for 
Defectives 

An  idiot  is  so  deeply 
defective  from  birth 
or  from  an  early  age 
that  he  is  unable  to 

Idiot 
Low  (under  1  year) 

1.  Helpless 

2.  Can    walk 

-■ 
There    are    practically    no 
idiots     in     the     special 
classes  for  defectives 

guard    himself 

3.   Has  volun- 

against   common 
physical  dangers 

tary  regard 
Middle  (1  year) 

1.  Feeds  self 

2.  Eats  every- 
thing 

High  (2  yeajs) 
Eats  di^  j^- 
natelJlP 

An    imbecile    is    one 
who,  by  reason  of 
mental  defect  exist- 

Imbecile 

Low  (3  and  4  years) 
3  years 

The  children  of  this  grade 
are  taught  the  following: 
1.   Personal  cleanliness 

ing  from   birth   or 
from  early  age,   is 
incapable  of  earn- 
ing his  own  living, 
but   is   capable   of 
guarding    himself 

No  work 
Plays  a  little 
4  years 

Tries  to  help 

2.  Sense  training 

3.  Manual  training  which 
consists    of    the    crudest 
kind  of  work  involving  the 
large  muscles.    This  group 
shows   a  desire   to  make 

against    common 
physical  dangers 

things 

4.  Exercises   of  practical 
life,     which     consist     of 
sweeping,   dusting,  scrub- 
bing, etc. 

5.  Physical     training, 
which  consists  of  rhythm 
work  of  all  kinds,  such  as 
skipping,     running,    sim- 
plest folk  dancing,  appa- 

[14] 


CURRICULUM   OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 


Tredgold 

Goddard 

Type  of  Work 

ratus  work  in  gymnasium. 

and  rhythmic  games 

6.     Music.     Rote     songs 

which  have  action 

7.  Speech  training 

Note.     While  the  results 

with  this  group  are  crude. 

the  improvement  in  chil- 

dren is  marked 

Middle  (5  years) 

This  group  is  organized  on 

Only  simplest 

the  departmental  plan 

tasks 

The  Kitchen 

High  (6  and  7 

These  children  wash  dishes. 

years) 

wash  and  iron  the  simpler 

Tasks  of  short 

pieces,  clean  the  smaller 

duration 

stoves,  poUsh  zinc  count- 

Washes dishes 

er,     help     prepare     the 

Dusts 

lunch 

The  Shop 
These  children  make  simple 
problems  which  are  also 
useful 

The  Gymnasium 
Rhythm  work  of  all  kinds, 
conmiand  and  imitative 
work,     dumb-bells     and 
wand    drills,    apparatus 
work,  folk  dancing,  and 
games 

Music 
Rote  songs 

Manual  Training 
Basketry,    brush    making, 
rug  making,  sewing,  chair 
caning 

[15] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 


Tredgold 

Goddard 

Type  of  Work 

Academic  Work 

Language,  reading,  writing 

Nature  study,  number 

A  feeble-minded  per- 

Morons 

The  Kitchen 

son  is  one  who  is 

Low  (8  and  9 

Wash  and  iron  more  diffi- 

capable of  earning 

years) 

cult  pieces 

his    living  under 

1.   Errands 

Clean  gas  range 

favorable    circum- 

2.  Light  work 

Wash  windows 

stances,  but  is  in- 

3.  Makes  beds 

Clean  cabinets,  closets,  ice 

capable  from  defect 

boxes,  scrub  floors,  cook 

existing  from  birth 

and  serve  luncheons 

or  from   an   early 
age  (a)  of  competi- 
tion on  equal  terms 
with  his  fellows,  or 
(6)    managing  his 
affairs    with   ordi- 

The Shop 
Make  larger  and  more  diffi- 
cult problems  which  are 
useful    and     often    have 
commercial  value 

nary  prudence 

The  Gymnasium 
Rhythm  work 
Command  and  imitative 

work 
Dumb-bells  and  wand  drills, 

apparatus  work 
Folk  dancing 
Tactics 

Mtisic 
Rote  songs 

Manual  Training 
Difficult  problems  in  bas- 
ketry, brush  making,  rug 

Middle  (10  years) 

making,  sewing 

Good  institution 

Academic  Work 

helpers 

Language,  reading,  number. 

Routine  work 

writing.  Nature  study 

[16] 


CURRICULUM   OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 


Tredgold 

Goddard 

Type  of  Work 

High    (11    and    12 

If  there  are  middle  and 

years) 

high-grade    morons  in  the 

11  years 

special    classes,    the    same 

Fairly  compli- 

kind of  work  is  given  them 

cated  work  with 

but    the    problems    are  of 

only   occasional 

increasing  diflSculty 

oversight 

12  years 

Uses  machinery 

Can  care  for  ani- 

mals 

Cannot  plan 

The  children  are  promoted  from  class  to  class  as  they  demonstrate 
their  ability  to  do  the  next  higher-grade  work.  The  best-trained  children 
from  the  highest  group  in  the  departmental  class  are  promoted  to  the 
trade  class,  in  which  class  are  children  of  varied  mentality,  but  all 
trained  to  do  high-class  work. 


1:173 


CHAPTER  FOUR 

Discussion  of  the  Curriculum  in  the 
Kindergarten  Department 

A  TEACHER  of  household  science  in  a  special 
school  said,  "It  is  not  long  after  cleaning  things 
that  the  children  begin  to  clean  themselves."  One  of  the 
usual  methods  of  getting  children  to  come  clean  is  firmly 
T  Habits  of  ^^  insist  that  their  parents  send  them  to 
personal  school  clcau,  repeatedly  sending  the  children 

home  with  notes  to  that  effect.  No  doubt 
much  may  be  said  for  this  method,  and  while  there  is  no 
question  that  the  school  should  not  take  all  the  responsi- 
bility from  the  parent,  still  there  are  many  disadvantages 
connected  with  the  plan  of  sending  defective  children 
home  to  get  clean. 

The  biggest  problem  to  meet  and  handle  in  so  many 
cases  of  dirty  children  in  a  special  school  is  that  of  the 
Inability  of  feeble-minded  parent.  One  noon  a  teacher 
feeble-minded  called  at  a  homc  to  scc  why  the  boy  had 
parent  to  e  p  ^^^^  absent  in  the  morning.  She  found  four 
naked  children  in  the  room  and  the  feeble-minded  mother 
fumbling  a  heap  of  old  clothes  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
trying  to  find  something  that  the  children  could  put  on 
so  that  they  might  go  to  school  in  the  afternoon.  Ap- 
parently she  had  been  at  it  a  good  part  of  the  morning 
but  had  not  made  much  headway.  In  such  a  home  the 
problem  of  getting  clothes  enough  for  the  children  to  put 
on  in  order  to  go  to  school  was  so  big  that  to  have 
insisted  that  they  be  clean  as  well  as  have  clothes  would 
have  quite  overwhelmed  the  family.  Children  sent  home 
to  such  a  place  to  get  washed  would  have  been  punished 
instead  of  cleaned,  and  nothing  would  have  been  gained 

CIS] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

in  the  training  of  the  child,  even  if  there  had  not  been  a 
distinct  loss. 

Complicated  with  the  feeble-mindedness  of  the  parents 
there  is  more  often  than  not  a  lack  of  facilities  for  keeping 
clean.    There  is  no  hot  water  at  all,  no  cold   ^ack  of 
water  except  that  connected  with  a  sink  in   faculties 
a  dark  hallway,  no  soap  or  towels;  conditions    °    ®   ^°^® 
are  such  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  people  of  good  in- 
telligence to  keep  clean,  much  more  those  of  weak  intellect 
or  worse.     When  one  has  visited  these  homes,  the  wonder 
is  how  the  children  come  to  school  from  such  homes  as 
clean  as  they  do.     While  such  conditions  seem  absolutely 
hopeless,  they  can  be  met  with  a  surprising  measure  of 
success  by  working  through  the  children  in  the  school  to 
the  home. 

One  teacher  who  had  a  group  of  children  very  low  in 
mentality  met  the  situation  by  devoting  the  first  twenty 
minutes  of  the  day  to  teaching  the  children  a  successful 
how  to  get  clean.  The  equipment  was  most  °^^^^^ 
inexpensive  and  simple  —  a  wash  basin,  a  piece  of  soap, 
and  a  clean  towel  for  each  child,  placed  on  his  table  ready 
for  use  when  he  came  in.  A  pail  of  warm  water  was 
brought  in  by  a  capable  child,  and  the  basins  were  filled 
from  the  pail.  It  was  not  enough  to  tell  the  children  to 
wash  clean,  it  was  necessary  to  show  them  how  to  do  it. 
As  the  brighter  children  learned,  they  showed  the  more 
stupid  ones.  There  was  no  exercise  of  the  day  more 
enjoyed  than  this  one. 

This  teacher  also  made  a  collection  of  bright-colored 
hair  ribbons,  and  clothes  which  had  been  given  her  by 
friends.  These  were  put  on  the  children  in  the  morning, 
and  if  possible  their  soiled  clothes  were  washed.  Per- 
mission was  obtained  from  their  parents  to  have  their 
hair  cut. 

[19] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

Improvement  in  all  the  children  has  been  so  marked 
that  less  and  less  time  is  needed  for  this  cleaning  up,  and 
the  children  have  in  most  cases  learned  to  come  clean 
from  home  —  even  from  homes  with  conditions  as  de- 
scribed above. 

Another  teacher,  who  had  tubs  with  running  water  at 
her  disposal,  herseK  gave  baths  to  the  little  girls  and  en- 
other  couraged  the  big  boys  to  take  baths  after 
successful  school.  The  girls  enjoyed  the  process  so 
methods  much  that  they  would  purposely  get  them- 
selves as  dirty  as  possible  so  that  the  teacher  would  pick 
them  out  for  a  bath.  In  self-defense,  and  because  of 
lack  of  time,  the  teacher  finally  said  that  she  would  give 
baths  only  to  the  little  girls  who  kept  themselves  cleanest! 
Another  teacher  kept  ordinary  washtubs  in  an  isolated 
cloakroom,  where  the  children  took  baths  as  often  as 
possible.  The  biggest  boys  would  come  in  proudly  bring- 
ing their  clean  underwear  ready  to  put  on  after  they  had 
taken  their  bath. 

So,  in  the  special  class  in  any  school,  a  condition  of 
uncleanliness  among  the  children  can  be  met  by  the  en- 
terprising teacher.  Of  course,  there  are  stubborn  cases 
sometimes.  Two  girls  who  needed  baths  very  much  in- 
deed said:  "We  won't  take  any  baths.  Only  dirty 
people  take  baths;   clean  ones  don't  have  to." 

It  may  be  said  that  if  the  children  enjoy  these  exercises 
so  much,  they  will  do  as  little  as  possible  at  home  that 
Good  teaching  ^^^^^  "^^^  ^^^^  *^^  cxcusc  in  school.  With 
and  good  good  teaching  that  need  not  be  true.     When 

results  ^Yie  teacher  is  satisfied  that  she  has  taught 

a  child  how  to  get  clean,  she  then  teaches  him  to  come  to 
school  clean.     And  it  can  be  said  without  fear  of  con- 
tradiction that  the  result  will  be  satisfactory  if  the  method 
be  that  of  teaching  rather  than  punishing. 
[20] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

The  children  in  the  defective  schools  learn  the  begin- 
nings of  how  to  do  the  tasks  of  everyday  life  by  clean- 
ing   their    own    classrooms.     "The    way    to   jj    Ejgjcises 
begin  is  to  begin,"  and  "Do  the  thing  next   of  practical 
you,"  are  two  sayings  often  quoted  in  plan-   "** 
ning   work    for  the   special   children.     The  exercises  in 
everyday  life   nearest   defective   children   in   the  public 
schools  consist  in  the  work  of  cleaning  the  room  in  which 
they  live  during  the  school  day.     They  do  not  do  it  well 
at  first,  of   course;    in  fact,  they  frequently  upset  the 
room  more  than  they  straighten  it  out;    but  with  real 
teaching  these  exercises  prove  to  be  as  valuable  as  any 
other   school   exercise  for   these  children.     Indeed,  they 
seem  sometimes  to  be    more  valuable  than  any  other 
exercise. 

A  certain  time  each  day  is  allotted  to  cleaning,  and  the 
children  do  as  much  as  they  are  able  to  do  within  that 
period  and  leave  the  rest  undone.  The  chief  Planning  the 
mistake  of  a  teacher  beginning  housekeeping  ^®'^ 
exercises  is  usually  that  she  plans  altogether  too  much 
work  to  do  at  one  time,  with  the  result  that  nothing  is  well 
done.  A  lesson  given  to  the  children  on  cleaning  their 
room  should  be  as  carefully  planned  as  other  lessons.  In 
this  kind  of  work,  as  in  other  school  work,  the  lesson 
must  proceed  from  the  known  to  the  related  unknown, 
from  the  simple  to  the  complex. 

Each  child  must  have  his  work  assigned  to  him  in  a 
way  that  he  understands,  and  must  be  shown  how  to  do  it. 
Some  children  will  be  scrubbing  their  tables,  some  will  be 
washing  blackboards,  some  will  be  cleaning  a  table,  others 
will  be  dusting  chairs,  and  still  others,  perhaps,  cleaning 
cabinets. 

The  equipment,  as  well  as  the  work,  should  fit  the 
children.     If  the  children's  hands  are  small,  the  scrubbing 

[21] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

brushes  should  be  small;  if  the  children  are  small,  the 
brooms  used  should  be  toy  brooms. 

If  the  children  cannot  carry  basins  of  water  without 
spilling,  they  should  be  trained  in  this  task  until  they  can 
do  it.  Because  they  cannot  do  things  is  no  reason  why 
the  work  should  be  given  up;  in  fact,  it  is  a  strong  argu- 
ment for  doing  it. 

A  certain  teacher  of  household  science  has  for  her 
motto  in  the  kitchen,  "A  place  for  everything,  and  every- 
thing in  its  place,"  and  this  should  be  the  aim  of  the 
teacher  in  training  defective  children  through  exercises  in 
practical  life. 

Even  low-grade  children  can  learn  to  do  these  practical 
things  so  well  that  a  class  can  be  trained  to  clean  a  room 
Good  results  thoroughly  in  twenty-five  minutes.  The 
from  training  problem  in  this  work,  as  in  all  work  with  de- 
fectives, is  that  of  the  large  body  to  be  directed  by  the 
small  mind.  In  the  low-grade  groups  where  the  children 
have  the  mentality  of  two-,  three-,  and  four-year-old 
children  —  really  too  young  mentally  to  be  yet  in  school  — 
one  finds  children  from  seven  to  seventeen  years  of  age, 
some  of  whom  have  bodies  equal  to  those  of  high-school 
children. 

The  curriculum  of  the  special  schools  must  provide 
work  which  requires  the  physical  strength  of  an  eighth- 
grade  child  but  only  the  mind  of  a  baby!  The  work  in 
cleaning,  properly  planned,  provides  much  work  for  big 
muscles,  and  properly  guided  by  a  superior  brain  a  very 
small  mind  can  direct  these  muscles. 

In  his  book.  The  Normal  Child  and  Primary  Education, 
Dr.  Gesell  says,  "The  degree  in  which  our  minds  will 
m.  Sense  be  sesthctic  and  athletic  depends  on  what 
training  ^^  havc   sccn,  heard,    smelled,    tasted,  and 

touched."    He  also  says,  "The  development  of  the  brain 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

is  indissolubly  connected  with   the  use  of  the  sensory 
apparatus." 

Many  things  that  normal  children  learn  just  by  living 
in  the  world  must  be  definitely  taught  to  the  defective 
child.  Again,  the  normal  child  learns  so  Teaching 
fast  that  it  is  often  impossible  to  know  just  defectives 
how  he  learns;  on  the  other  hand,  the  de-  children  leam 
fective  child  learns  so  slowly,  that  it  is  almost  ^^^^y 
literally  possible  to  watch  the  learning  process  in  him  and 
follow  it  step  by  step.  A  favorite  illustration  used  by 
Superintendent  Johnstone  of  Vineland  is  this:  "If  you 
stand  by  the  track  and  watch  a  fast-moving  train,  you 
are  not  conscious  of  much  of  the  detail.  You  see  that 
it  is  a  train;  perhaps  you  can  count  the  number  of 
cars;  but  it  is  not  possible  to  recognize  a  person  on  the 
train.  It  is  quite  the  opposite  in  the  case  of  a  slow- 
moving  train  or  one  that  is  standing  still.  When  the 
train  moves  slowly  you  get  a  good  look  at  the  passengers; 
you  can  even  recognize  persons  on  the  train.  The  mind 
of  a  normal  child  has  been  compared  to  the  fast-moving 
train,  the  mind  moving  so  fast  that  you  cannot  possibly 
see  how  it  is  working;  the  mind  of  a  defective,  on  the 
other  hand,  has  been  compared  to  the  slow-moving  train, 
learning  so  slowly  that  an  intelligent  observer  can  almost 
see  what  is  going  on  in  that  mind." 

In  the  training  of  the  senses  the  normal  child  learns  so 
rapidly  and  easily  that  few  teachers  outside  the  kinder- 
garten realize  the  important  part  senses  play  importance  of 
in  education.  The  defective  child  is  mentally  ^^^^^  training 
of  kindergarten  age  much  longer  than  any  normal  child, 
and  there  are  many  defectives  who  never  get  beyond  the 
kindergarten  age  —  mentally. 

When  teaching  defectives,  the  problem  of  the  youth- 
fulness  of  their  mentaHty  is  complicated  by  the  fact  that 

[23] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

their  bodies  far  outgrow  their  mentahty.  So,  when  plan- 
ning the  education  of  a  defective,  not  only  the  fact  of  the 
small  mind  is  to  be  considered,  but  also  the  fact  that  this 
same  small  mind  must  often  control  a  full-grown  body. 

Sense  training  does  not  necessarily  need  to  be  a  lesson 

by  itself.     Every  subject  taught  during  the  day  lends 

itself  to  the  training  of  the  senses.     When 

Sense  training  i  •!  i  i     i  • 

connected  with  tcachmg  the  children  habits  oi  personal 
all  subjects  of    cleanliness,  the  teacher  strives  to  have  the 

curriculum  i^i  i  i  •/•!  ii  r>»i 

children  know  now  it  feels  to  be  clean.  She 
teaches  them  the  difference  between  hot  and  cold  water, 
how  much  water  to  put  in  a  basin  in  order  not  to  spill  any, 
and  also  how  to  carry  the  basin  of  water  from  the  faucet 
or  pail  to  their  own  tables  without  spilling.  She  teaches 
them  how  to  wring  out  a  washcloth,  and  the  difference 
between  a  wet  towel  and  a  dry  towel. 

All  these  sense  perceptions,  and  more,  are  likewise 
emphasized  when  teaching  the  exercises  of  practical  life. 
Here  they  learn  the  difference  in  the  looks  of  an  object 
when  it  is  soiled  and  when  it  is  clean,  the  difference  be- 
tween rough  and  smooth.  They  learn  how  to  hold  a 
broom  firmly  so  as  to  sweep  effectively,  how  to  hold  a 
scrubbing  brush  in  order  to  clean  well  with  it,  and  so 
on  through  all  the  practical  exercises  of  life  that  are 
taught. 

All  the  foregoing  differences  are  again  emphasized  in 
manual  training,  and  the  children  learn  also  to  know  the 
difference  between  the  sound  made  by  a  hammer  when  it 
hits  a  nail  and  the  sound  made  when  it  does  not.  They 
learn  differences  in  color,  size,  feel,  and  even  sound  in 
manual  training.  Throughout  all  the  subjects  of  the 
curriculum  of  the  special  classes,  the  children  learn  how 
to  see,  hear,  and  touch,  and  often  how  to  smell  and  taste, 
as  well. 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

Some  one  has  said  that  all  knowledge  is  the  building  up 
of  the  sense  of  touch.  It  has  been  said  that  "Touch  is 
chronologically  the  first  in  the  history  of  the  The  sense  of 
mind.  With  the  possible  exception  of  hunger,  *°"<^^ 
it  is  the  most  ancient  of  all  experiences."  Certain  it  is 
that  the  infant  gets  his  first  knowledge  through  the  sense 
of  touch.  He  clasps  and  creeps  and  destroys  and,  as  Dr. 
Gesell  says,  "gets  into  mischief  and  into  the  knowledge  of 
things."  As  with  the  infant,  so  with  the  defective,  object 
teaching  is  not  enough.  He  must  feel  and  handle,  he  must 
get  very  definite  sensations  through  the  sense  of  touch. 

Dr.  Seguin's  book.  Idiocy  and  Its  Treatment  by  the 
Physiological  Method,  has  long  been  used  as  an  authority 
on  sense  training.  Dr.  Montessori,  in  her  book.  The 
Montessori  Method,  has  based  her  principles  of  sense  train- 
ing on  those  Dr.  Seguin  has  worked  out. 

The  following  table  consists  of  a  list  of  sense-training 
devices  outlined  by  Dr.  Seguin  and  used  by  Dr.  Montessori: 

1.    DEVICES  FOR  TRAINING  SENSE  OF  TOUCH 

Exercises  for  tactile  sense: 

(1)  Washing  hands. 

(2)  Show  child  how  to  touch. 

(3)  Show  child  how  to  touch  with  eyes  shut. 

Material  for  these  exercises:  Rectangular  board  al- 
ternately smooth  and  covered  with  sandpaper,  and  a 
collection  of  paper  slips  of  all  grades  from  smooth  to 
coarsest  sandpaper. 

Exercises  for  thermic  sense: 

(1)  Have  the  child  feel  of  bowls  filled  with  water  of 

varying  temperature. 

(2)  Have  children   put  hands  into  cold,   tepid,   and 

warm  water. 

C25] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

Exercises  for  baric  sense: 

(1)  Form  a  miscellaneous  group  of  tablets  of  different 

weights,  and  have  children  pick  out  tablets  of 
the  same  weight. 

(2)  Have  children  arrange  in  graduated  order  tablets 

of  different  weights. 

Exercises  for  steriognostic  sense  (recognition  of  objects 
through  feeling): 

(1)  Call  attention  of  child  to  form  of  two  solids,  as 

cubes  and  bricks. 

(2)  Let  child  feel  carefully  with  eyes  open. 

(3)  Have  child  with  eyes  open  separate  cubes  and 

bricks  (24  in  all). 

(4)  Have  child,  blindfolded,  separate  cubes  and  bricks. 

(5)  Discrimination  between  small  forms  of  all  descrip- 

tions, as  in  "mystery  bag." 

2.  DEVICES  FOR  TRAINING  SENSE  OF  SMELL 

(1)  Blindfold    the   children    and    give    them   familiar 

flowers. 

(2)  Have  the  children  smell  and  give  the  names. 

(3)  Have  the  children  smell  kerosene,  coffee,  pepper- 

mint, and  other  things  with  familiar  odors,  and 
give  the  names. 

(4)  Have  bottles  filled  with  different  liquids  and  have 

several  different  liquids.  Have  the  children 
place  together  the  bottles  containing  liquids 
which  have  the  same  odor. 

3.  DEVICES  FOR  TRAINING  SENSE  OF  TASTE 

Have  the  children  taste  and  name  that  which  is  salt, 

sweet,  sour,  and  bitter. 
[26] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

4.  DEVICES  FOR  TRAINING  SENSE  OF  HEARING 

(1)  Have  various  boxes  filled  with  different  substances, 

such  as  corn,  sand,  pebbles.  Have  the  child 
shake  the  box,  listen  to  the  sound,  and  name  the 
substance. 

(2)  Games  of  silence: 

a.  Listening  to  the  clock. 

b.  Listening  to  hear  a  child's  name  called,  etc. 

5.  DEVICES   FOR    TRAINING    SENSE    OF    SIGHT 

Exercises  for  training  sight: 

(1)  Catch  eye  by  yours. 

(2)  Place  objects  child  knows  and  wants  where  he  will 

have  to  look  for  them. 

(3)  Use  balancing  pole. 

(4)  Sort  colored  ribbons,  cards,  etc.,  and  place  likes 

together. 

(5)  Arrange  colors  in  graduated  scale. 

(6)  Recognize  colors  by  name. 

Note.    Do  not  confuse  the  child  by  giving  him  too  many  colors  at 
a  time. 

(7)  Contrast  differences  in  form. 

(8)  Find  similarities  in  form. 

(9)  Teacher  places  blocks  and  child  imitates,  first  in 

simple  fashion  and  then  in  more  complex  ways. 

(10)  Teacher  creates  combinations,   first    simple  and 

then  more  complex,  and  destroys  them,  and  the 
child  builds  up  the  like  from  memory. 

(11)  Compare  the  longest  and  shortest  parts  of  the 

"long  stair." 

(12)  Have  children  arrange  "long  stair"  in  order. 

[27] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

(13)  Teacher  separates  two  objects  a  certain  distance, 

and  children  imitate. 

(14)  Long  and  short  distances  to  certain  objects  noted. 

(15)  Teacher  draws  hnes   on  blackboard,   at  first  in 

simple  designs  and  then  more  complex,  and  chil- 
dren imitate  them. 
Materials  used  in  training  sight  are:    Colors,  forms, 
combinations  of  forms,  dimensions,  distances,  planes. 

Many  defectives  speak  badly,  and  some  do  not  talk  at 
all.  In  every  case  medical  opinion  should  be  sought  in 
IV.  Speech  Order  to  find  out  whether  or  not  the  cause  of 
training  pooT  speech  be  a  physical  defect.     When  the 

child  talks  badly  because  of  mental  defect,  the  training 
very  properly  falls  within  the  teacher's  province. 

Many  curious  cases  of  speech  difficulties  have  come 
under  the  writer's  observation.  One  odd  case  was  that 
A  case  of  of  a  girl  twelve  years  old  who  could  talk  but 

speech  defect  ^j^q  j^^j  never  been  known  to  talk  in  school. 
She  had  been  sent  to  kindergarten  when  she  was  four 
years  old,  and  up  to  the  time  of  entering  the  special  class, 
at  twelve,  she  had  attended  school  regularly.  During 
those  seven  years  no  one  in  school,  either  children  or 
teachers,  had  ever  heard  her  utter  a  single  word.  A  great 
interest  had  been  taken  in  her  and  she  had  been  closely 
watched,  but  nothing,  whether  on  playground  or  in  school, 
had  brought  forth  any  verbal  expression. 

The  child's  mother  insisted  that  she  talked  freely  and 
distinctly  at  home.  At  first  the  teacher  was  inclined  to 
doubt  the  mother's  veracity,  but  later  competent  wit- 
nesses declared  they  had  heard  the  child  talk  to  her  mother. 

It  was  impossible  to  test  her  by  the  Binet  scale  because 
she  refused  to  respond  in  any  particular,  so  she  was  sent 
to  a  class  for  defectives  for  observation.     She  was  tried 

C28  3 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

in  the  various  grades  of  the  defective  school  but  was 
happiest  and  most  active  in  the  lowest-grade  class.  She 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  everything  in  that  group.  The 
mother  was  sensitive  about  the  girl  being  in  a  class  of 
defectives  and  wanted  to  keep  her  at  home,  but  the  child 
was  self-willed  and  insisted  upon  coming  to  school,  rain 
or  shine,  whether  or  no. 

The  teachers  left  her  quite  alone  and  watched  her  to 
find  out  the  things  she  liked  best  to  play  with,  and  then 
put  these  things  where  they  hoped  she  would  ask  for  them. 
She  would  go  without  anything  rather  than  utter  a  word 
to  ask  for  it. 

However,  after  about  a  month  in  the  special  class  she 
began  to  say  a  few  things,  —  "  Get  out  of  the  way "  to 
the  children,  "Good  morning"  and  "Good  night"  to  the 
teachers,  who  always  acted  as  if  the  fact  of  her  saying 
something  were  not  in  the  least  unusual.  When  she  did 
speak  there  was  no  apparent  defect  and  words  came  very 
readily.  It  was  in  the  music  class  that  she  made  the 
biggest  strides,  for  she  would  sing  with  the  others  and 
apparently  enjoyed  it  as  much  as  did  the  other  children. 

At  this  stage  of  her  development  the  family  moved 
from  the  city,  much  to  the  regret  of  the  teachers,  who 
wanted  to  see  her  further  development  and  improvement, 
which  they  felt  sure  would  be  brought  about  by  continued 
training. 

Another  case  was  that  of  a  boy  who  had  never  been 
known  to  talk  either  in  school  or  on  the  playground, 
although  he  had  been  in  school  for  eleven   Another  case 
years  before  being  assigned  to  a  class  for   of  speech 
defectives.     The  boy  apparently  wanted  very     ®  ®*^* 
much  to  talk,  but  efforts  to  induce  him  to  do  so  met  with 
no  success.     All  kinds  of  strong  incentives  were  used  to 
encourage  him  to  make  supreme  efforts,  with  the  result 

[29] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

that  he  would  finally  repeat  words  of  one  syllable.  Then 
it  was  apparent  that  the  child,  if  he  talked  at  all,  would 
be  a  stutterer.  Evidently,  when  he  had  attempted  to 
talk,  he  had  foimd  it  such  hard  work  to  bring  the  words 
out,  that  he  had  simply  given  up  trying,  as  nearly  all 
defectives  do  when  they  meet  even  a  slight  difficulty. 

This  boy  took  so  keen  an  interest  in  hand  work  of  all 
kinds  that  the  teacher  made  manual  training  the  instru- 
ment of  the  appeal  for  him  to  make  still  greater  efforts 
to  talk.  He  was  imder  training  four  years,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  he  would  say  anything  that  was  absolutely 
necessary  —  but  no  more.  He  never  talked  freely.  His 
parents  sent  him  into  the  country  to  work  on  a  farm,  and 
the  school  has  not  been  able  to  keep  in  touch  with  him. 

A  number  of  such  cases  are  found  in  the  classes  for 
defectives.  These  children  are  apparently  stutterers  and 
have  not  enough  mentality  to  overcome  the  difficulty 
and  try  to  speak,  and  so  do  not  talk  at  all. 

A  number  of  low-grade  chiljiren  do  not  talk  because 
they  are  not  yet  of  an  age  mentally  to  learn  to  talk. 
Some  Children  of  this  grade,  given  the  right  at- 

defective  mosphcre  and  right  training  in  the  school, 

children  too  .    .  n  i  i  n 

young  mentaUy  Will  learn  to  talk  when  they  are  mentally 
to  talk  qJj  enough.     Some,  perhaps,  will  not  grow 

mentally  and  never  will  talk;  but  the  majority  of  children 
entered  in  the  public  schools  will  learn  to  talk,  after  a 
fashion  at  least,  if  given  opportunities.  The  teacher 
must  watch  for  defects  and  correct  them  as  often  as  they 
occur,  without  nagging  the  child. 

If  the  child  is  absolutely  silent  and  inactive,  he  must 
be  trained  to  make  a  noise.  When  he  has  learned  to 
Speech  helped  cxprcss  himself  in  sound,  much  may  be  ac- 
through  music  complished  through  music,  by  the  singing  of 
rote  songs  which  the  children  love  to  sing.  Children 
C30] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

who  will  not  utter  a  word  in  other  lessons  during  the  day- 
will  frequently  join  in  singing  with  the  group.  It  is  well 
known  likewise  that  stutterers  never  stutter  when  they 
sing.  It  is  on  this  fact  that  Mrs.  Scripture  bases  her  very 
successful  treatment  for  stutterers. 

After  music,  perhaps  dramatization  gives   Speech  helped 
the  greatest  opportunities  for  careful  speech   ^^^ation 
training. 

To  many  teachers  a  special  lesson  in  articulation  and 
a  definite  order  of  exercises  are  helpful.  In  such  a  lesson 
it  is  better  to  begin  with  breathing  exercises.  Breathing 
All  good  professional  teachers  of  voice  cul-  exercises 
ture  and  singing  begin  that  way.  Any  exercise  which 
"points"  the  breath  is  good.  Blowing  pin  wheels,  blowing 
feathers  about,  or  blowing  out  an  imaginary  candle  are 
good  exercises  to  help  "point"  the  breath;  and  children 
like  them. 

Following  this,  a  good  vocal  drill,  such  as  those  which 
are  included  in  a  music  lesson,  should  be  used;  for  in- 
stance, the  scale  with  "loo,"  "boo,"   "lo," 

«x     »     •  T<Y>      1  nil  1  Vocal  drills 

etc.       La      IS   a   diincult   syllable   to   place 

properly  and  should  not  be  used  frequently  unless  the 

teacher  has  had  unusual  training  in  voice  culture. 

Ear  training  is  important  in  speech  training,  because 
the  child  must  hear  correctly  in  order  to  imitate  properly. 
Hence  the  vocal  drill  should  be  followed  by 

.    .  .  _,         .  ,         Ear  training 

an  ear-training  exercise.     For  instance,    the 

teacher  might  sing  certain  syllables  of  the  scale,  or  parts 

of  a  song  with  "loo,"  and  have  the  children  listen  and 

imitate. 

Following  the  ear-training  drills,  the  exercises  which 
Dr.  Seguin   recommends  in  his  articulation   Dr.  Seguin's 
exercises  are  most  valuable;    viz.,  have  the   ^®^*^® 
teacher  give  directions  with  her  Ups,  without  uttering  a 

[31] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

sound,  and  have  the  children  obey  her  directions.  Also, 
have  the  children  give  directions  with  their  lips  to  other 
children,  who  act  on  these  commands. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  begin  very  simply  in  these 
exercises,  perhaps  with  only  one  word  at  first,  and  that 
Simple  Up  ^  child's  name,  and  proceed  gradually  to 
exercises  at  the  morc  difficult  directions.  This  exercise 
^^*  sounds  very  difficult,  but  the  children  are 

often  surprisingly  quick  to  read  the  lips  of  the  teacher  or 
of  other  children.  The  exercise  forces  the  children  to 
watch  the  teacher's  lips  and  see  how  words  are  formed 
without  her  having  to  talk  directly  about  the  formation 
of  the  words,  though  in  some  cases  it  may  be  found 
helpful  and  necessary  to  do  that. 

Mother  Goose  Complete  the  articulation  exercise  with 
rimes  of  drill   ou   Mother   Goose  rimes,  which   have 

^®^^  wonderful  possibilities    for  practice  in  good 

enunciation.     For  instance, 

"Mistress  Mary,  quite  contrary. 
How  does  your  garden  grow.'^ 
With  cockle  shells  and  silver  bells. 
And  fair  maids  all  in  a  row." 

and 

"Tom,  Tom,  the  piper's  son. 
Stole  a  pig,  and  away  he  run! 
The  pig  was  eat. 
And  Tom  was  beat. 
Which  sent  him  howling  down  the  street." 

Some  teachers  have  said  that  the  "big  boys"  do  not 
want  to  repeat  nursery  rimes.  In  that  case  allitera- 
tions may  be  substituted  for  the  rimes;  as,  ** Peter 
Piper  stole  a  peck  of  pickled  peppers,"  etc.  In  this  ex- 
ercise, as  in  all  others  for  the  special  class,  what  the  boys 

[32] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

and  girls  want  to  do  depends  very  largely  on  the  personality 
of  the  teacher.  The  Mother  Goose  melodies  have  been 
set  to  music,  and  if  they  are  used  in  the  music  period,  are  a 
decided  help  in  training  defective  children  to  speak  better. 
Dr.  Seguin  says  that  there  should  be  a  definite  grading 
from  the  simple  to  the  difficult,  in  teaching  children  to 
use  the  various  syllables.  He  also  says  that  the  syllables 
should  be  taught  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  emitted  — 
from  the  lips  backward,  as. 


1. 

3. 
4. 

pa,  pane,  pray, 
fa,  fame,  fray, 
ta,  tame,  tray, 
za. 

5. 

stay,  state,  stray, 

6. 

ra,  rain. 

ARTICULATION   EXERCISES   SUMMARIZED 

(1)  Breath  control. 

a.  Blowing  pin  wheels. 

b.  Blowing  feathers  about. 

c.  Imaginary  blowing  out  of  candles. 

(2)  Vocal  drills. 

Scale  or  song  with  "loo,"  "boo,"  "lo,"  etc. 

(3)  Ear  training. 

Teacher  sings  intervals,  as  "do,"  "me,"  "sol,* 
"do,"  or  song  with  "loo,"  and  the  children 
imitate. 

(4)  Imitation  exercises. 

a.  Teacher  gives  direction  with   lips,   children 

obey. 

b.  Children    give    directions    with    lips,    other 

children  obey. 

(5)  Mother  Goose  rimes,  or  alliteration  exercises. 

[33] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

It  takes,  perhaps,  an  unusually  optimistic,  persistent 
teacher  to  see  any  possibility  of  good  results  from  her 
V.  Mamiai  efforts  during  the  beginnings  of  manual 
training  training   in   this   so-called   kindergarten   de- 

partment of  the  special  school  for  defectives.  The  fact 
must  be  emphasized  again  that  these  children  of  infant 
mentality  frequently  have  very  large  bodies.  It  is  a  fact 
that  must  be  taken  into  consideration  when  planning 
manual  training  for  them. 

Work  involving  large  muscles  should  be  given  first, 
and  wood  working  seems  to  furnish  especially  abundant 
Work  for  Opportunities    for   the    play    of    the    larger 

large  muscles  musclcs.  Wood  Working  implies  to  the  aver- 
age teacher  the  making  of  something,  and 
since  the  children  cannot  make  anything,  teachers  may 
fear  that  they  will  take  no  interest  in  wood  or  tools.  It 
must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  children  do  not 
realize  that  they  cannot  make  anything;  nor  do  they 
comprehend  that  other  children  can  make  something 
with  the  wood  and  tools.  Their  joy  lies  in  the  fact  that 
they  can  handle  the  tools  and  make  a  noise. 

Their  first  manual-training  lesson  consists  of  just  that, 
—  making  a  noise  with  tools.  The  teacher  gives  each 
Simple  lessons  child  a  block  of  wood,  a  hammer,  and  some 
at  first  nails.     The  hammer   should  be   adapted   to 

the  size  of  the  children.  Then  the  teacher  patiently 
tries  to  teach  each  child  separately  how  to  hit  the  nail 
instead  of  the  wood  or  his  fingers.  The  children 
thoroughly  enjoy  this  lesson.  Gradually  one  child  after 
another  becomes  adept  and  is  able  to  hit  the  nail  more 
often  than  he  misses  it. 

The  teacher  then  gives  a  more  difficult  problem.  She 
Gradual  increase  draws  lines  ou  the  block  of  wood,  and 
in  difficulty        jg^^^j.    intersecting    lines,    and    the    children 

C34] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

drive  the  nail  on  the  lines  and  on  the  intersection  of 
the  lines. 

Then,  gradually,  one  or  two  at  a  time,  the  children, 
experiencing  all  the  joy  of  an  original  idea,  will  want  to 
make  a  "box"  or  a  "table."  A  "table"  means  to  them 
a  flat  board  with  legs,  the  nmnber  of  legs  not  being  at 
all  important.  That  a  "table"  needs  four  legs  of  more  or 
less  even  length  is  a  lesson  in  itself. 

One  wise  teacher  put  soil  in  the  first  boxes  and  planted 
seeds,  and  the  children  thus  learned  that  they  could 
make  something  which  could  be  used. 

As  the  children  get  better  control  of  their  muscles 
they  learn  to  use  the  scroll  saws,  with  which  they  make 
toys,  such  as  animals  and  dolls.  The  jointed  toys  are 
generally  too  difficult  for  children  in  this  department. 

All  this  crude  work  with  wood  and  tools  has  trained 
them  to  begin  to  know  the  difference  between   3^^^^^ 
long  and  short,  thick  and  thin,  big  and  Uttle,    contrasts 
rough    and   smooth.     They   recognize    only   ^®*™®** 
the   strong   contrasts,  but  it  is  the  first  step  to  have 
them  recognize  any  contrast  at  all. 

The  children  should  be  taught  to  handle  the  tools  care- 
fully, but  at  the  same  time  the  teacher  must  remember 
that  she  is  not  saving  tools  but  training  the  children. 

Good  training  in  the  beginning  of  much  of  the  manual 
work  which  they  will  do  later  in  the  higher  classes  should 
be  given  to  the  children  in  this  department.    Grounding 
The  handling  of  scissors,  as  in  paper  cutting,    chudren  in 
the  handling  of  the  needle  when  using  sewing   of  manual 
cards,  and  the  weaving  of  the  small  mats,    ^^^'^^ 
apparently  so  worthless,  all  help  in  the  sewing  and  bas- 
ketry later. 

The  children  should  not  he  kept  at  making  anything 
useless  one  minute  after  they  are  able  to  do  something  better. 

[35] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

The  children  themselves  do  not  always  know  the  dif- 
ference between  things  useless  and  things  useful.  They 
must  be  trained  to  recognize  it.  One  day  a  low-grade 
child  complained  bitterly  to  the  principal  of  the  special 
school  that  his  teacher  would  not  let  him  come  early 
in  the  morning  or  at  noon,  and  so  he  could  not  finish  his 
work.  The  principal  wondered  what  work  such  a  child 
could  do  that  would  hold  his  interest  to  that  extent. 
Upon  investigation  she  found  that  he  was  working  on 
a  tiny,  crude  raffia  mat!  It  was  a  miserable  object, 
but  far  from  worthless  to  the  child. 

That  kind  of  manual  training  is  worthless  only  when 
children  are  kept  at  it  too  long.  The  wise  teacher  will 
know  when  to  leave  the  raffia  mat  and  begin  to  teach 
something  else,  something  that  has  grown  out  of  the 
apparently  useless  object,  something  of  greater  difficulty 
and  greater  usefulness. 

Some  teachers  have  experienced  difficulty  in  teaching 
the  children  to  weave  and  hence  have  been  inclined  to 
think  that  their  pupils  could  not  learn  to 
do  it.  The  probabilities  are  that  they  did 
not  begin  with  a  simple  enough  problem.  Sometimes 
it  proves  helpful  to  begin  with  the  oilcloth  frame,  using 
the  colored  splints  as  weavers;  at  other  times  it  is  better 
to  use  the  ordinary  frame  strung  with  alternate  colors, 
so  that  the  teacher  can  say  "under  the  red  and  over  the 
blue." 

When  a  child  does  not  comprehend  a  given  piece  of 
work,  a  simple  problem,  and  makes  no  progress,  it  is 
generally  quite  safe  to  assume  that  the  teacher  has  not 
begun  "where  the  child  is'*  but  probably  far  above  him. 

When  a  child  begins  to  use  the  scissors,  let  him,  if  he 
cannot  do  better,  cut  up  papers  just  for  the  fun  of  using 
the  scissors,  which  should  be  of  a  size  to  suit  his  hand. 

[36] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

As  soon  as  he  shows  signs  of  any  control,  encourage  him 

to  cut  out  a  picture  from  a  newspaper  or 

from   an  old  book.     The  teacher  must  not 

expect  a  clear-cut  line,  or  even  that  the  picture  will 

come  out  intact.     That  is  "where  the  child  is,"  and  it 

is  from  such  a  point  that  his  training  must  begin. 

From  crude  beginnings  the  steps  in  the  use  of  scissors 
and  tools  can  be  so  graded  that  the  child  will  come  to 
full  control  of  these  instruments  for  useful  purposes. 
Some  children  may  be  given  to  throwing  the  scissors 
when  they  begin  to  get  tired.  In  that  case  the  teacher 
should  tie  the  scissors  to  the  child's  chair  with  a  cord 
long  enough  to  allow  him  good  use  of  them,  but  also 
short  enough  so  that  if  he  throws  them  they  cannot 
reach  any  other  child  in  the  room. 

While  teaching  the  children  how  to  follow  directions 
is  not  a  part  of  the  manual-training  lesson  alone,  but  is 
definitely   carried   through   every   lesson   of 
the  day,  still  many  good  teachers  have  been   taught  to 
especially  successful  through  lessons  in  paper   ^®"®^ 

f  ^A'  '  1  U*  4?  J     directions 

foldmg,    usmg    large    sheets    of   paper,  and 

through  lessons  in  pasting  the  kindergarten  squares  and 

circles  under  direction. 

Although  manual  training  is  part  of  the  curriculum 
of  the  kindergarten  department  as  a  separate  subject, 
and  a  special  time  of  the  day  is  allotted  to   children 
it,  still  throughout  each  subject  of  the  day   learning 
the  child  is  handling  and  feeling  things,  and   dexterity  in 
in  various  ways  learning  manual  dexterity.   ^  *^®^  ^<** 
One  subject  grows  out  of  and  depends  upon  another, 
with  no  sharp  lines  of  demarcation.     Each  overlaps  and 
supplements  the  other;    each  offers  as  many  avenues  as 
possible  to  the  small  mind  which  is  to  learn  to  direct  the 
activities  of  the  large  body. 

C37] 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

Dr.  Home  says,  in  his  book,  The  Philosophy  of  Edu- 
cation,  "All  appeals  to  the  mind,  educational  and  other- 
VI.  Physical  wise,  must  be  made  through  the  agency  of 
*^*^^^8  the  nervous  system.     The  senses  on  the  one 

hand,  and  the  muscles  on  the  other,  are  the  first  two 
gateways  through  which  educational  influences  must 
proceed.  The  educator  who  would  climb  up  into  the 
mind  by  some  other  way  is  unaware  of  the  nature  of 
the  child  with  whom  he  has  to  deal.  The  training  of  the 
senses  and  the  doing  well  of  things  that  require  delicacy 
of  muscular  adjustment  are  the  beginnings  of  physical 
education,  and  only  a  sound  physical  education  can 
support  a  sound  mental  education." 

While  physical  training  is  now  very  generally  con- 
sidered a  most  important  part  of  all  school  systems,  it 
is  nowhere  more  important  than  in  the  special  school 
for  defective  children.  Every  avenue  through  which 
the  sluggish  mind  can  be  reached  and,  perhaps,  aroused 
to  some  extent,  must  be  used  to  the  utmost,  to  the  end 
that  the  weak  will  may  be  strengthened  and  some  degree 
of  accuracy  of  thought  and  expression  secured. 

Physical  training,  like  manual  training,  overlaps  the 
other  subjects  of  the  curriculum  and  is  not  confined  to  a 
single  period  during  the  day.  The  sweep- 
part  of  ing,  scrubbing,  and  dusting  learned  during 
physical  ii^q  cxerciscs  of  practical  life  require  the  use 
of  the  fundamental  muscles.  The  ham- 
mering and  the  sawing  of  the  manual  training  bring 
into  play  the  larger  muscles.  The  sense  training 
and  even  the  speech  training  require  some  muscular 
activity. 

In  this  department,  called  kindergarten  for  want  of  a 
better  name,  the  same  complication  spoken  of  before  — 
that  of  the  big  body  governed  by  a  small  mind  —  makes 

[38] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

the  planning  of  physical  training  especially  difficult.    The 
children  in  this  department  are  mentally  two,    Di^cuity  of 
three,  and  four  years  old.    Considering  their   relation 
mental  age,  they  would  scarcely  be  admitted   nfeTtai^and 
to  the  kindergarten.     Chronologically   they    physical 
are  from  seven  to  seventeen  years  old;   the    *^®^®^°p°^®°* 
youngest,  according  to  his  body,  would  be  in  the  second 
grade,  the  oldest,  just  finishing  high  school. 

Again,  defective  children  must  be  taught  what  normal 
children  learn  naturally  just  by  living  in  the  world.     They 
do  not  know  how  to  run,  walk,  skip,  or  to    ordinary 
handle  or  use  their  bodies  properly.     These   physical 

-  1       r    -.  1       1  .    1  activities  to 

movements  must  be  taught  beiore  the  higher   be  taught 
and  more  complex  activities  can  be  mastered.    ^*  ^^* 
Some  one  has  said  that  "rhythm  is  a  good  friend  of 
motor  activity,"  and  its  help  in  teaching  the  children 
how  to  run,  walk,  and  skip  cannot  be  overestimated. 

These  low-grade  children  have  been  so  apparently 
helpless  that  at  home  many  of  them  have  had  things 
done  for  them  which  they  should  have  been  taught  to  do 
for  themselves;  for  instance,  they  have  been  carried  up 
and  down  stairs  when  they  should  have  been  taught  to 
walk  up  and  down  by  themselves.  One  teacher  was  much 
distressed  when  it  became  necessary  for  her  to  take  a 
classroom  on  the  second  floor.  She  complained  that 
only  about  one  half  of  her  low-grade  class  could  go  up 
and  down  stairs  themselves,  while  the  other  half  had  to 
be  carried  by  the  stronger  ones.  She  was  a  teacher  who 
always  made  the  most  of  her  opportunities,  however, 
and  she  set  about  teaching  all  the  children  how  to  go  up 
and  down  stairs  properly.  It  took  much  time  and  pa- 
tience, but  in  the  end  the  good  results  attained  proved 
this  to  be  a  most  valuable  lesson.  There  is  no  building 
but  has  that  much  apparatus! 

[39] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

If  a  gymnasium  is  available,  or  if  there  is  space  in  the 
classroom  for  apparatus,  low-grade  children  can  learn 
Apparatus  with  much  benefit  to  use  the  walking  beam, 

for  low-grade  the  ladder,  and  even  the  rings  and  climbing 
^      ®^  poles    and   ropes.     In   physical   training,    as 

in  the  other  subjects,  the  foundation  is  laid  in  this  kinder- 
garten department  for  the  work  to  come  later  in  the 
departmental  division  of  the  school. 

The  use  of  the  simple  apparatus  at  this  stage  of  the 
work  lays  a  good  foundation  for  the  exercises  which 
Foundation  foUow  in  later  grades,  in  the  use  of  all  ap- 
for  good  work  paratus  of  a  regularly  equipped  gymnasium, 
training  in  The  ring  games  and  rhythm  work  in  run- 
later  grades  nmg  and  skipping  lead  to  folk  dancing,  and 
the  lessons  in  walking  lead  to  marching  and  military 
tactics.  The  games  likewise  lay  a  foundation  for  later 
imitative  work,  and  throughout  all  the  early  work  in 
physical  training  the  children  have  been  learning  how 
to  pay  attention  and  take  simple  directions,  which  leads 
to  the  response  work  of  the  more  complicated  exercises 
of  advanced  grades.  This  all  sounds  very  formal,  but 
it  should  not  be  so,  for  the  play  spirit  should  permeate 
all  the  physical  training  in  this  department. 

Dr.  Home  says,  "Play  is  the  best  form  and  kind  of 

physical  training  because  it  gives  the  most  enjoyment," 

and  the  teacher  of  physical  training  to  a 

low-grade  class  of  defectives  must  remember 

that  only  when  the  children  are  having  the  most  fun  are 

they  deriving  the  most  benefit. 

The  children  in  this  department  are  too  young  mentally 
for  even  their  parents  to  think  that  they  ought  to  be 
vn.  other  taught  reading  or  writing  or  numbers.  The 
subjects  in  j-jjjj^  ^q  consider  their  aptitude  in  those  sub- 
department        jects  does  not  come  until  they  are  promoted 

[40] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

from  the  kindergarten  department  to  the  departmental 
division  of  the  school. 

However,  language  is  taught  through  stories  and 
dramatization  of  stories.  Some  one  has  said  that  "lan- 
guage cannot  be  taught,  it  must  be  evoked."  So  language 
may  be  said  to  be  "evoked"  through  every  subject  in 
this  department,  the  reproduction  of  stories  and  the 
dramatization  of  them  being  only  another  means  to 
that  end. 

It  is  very  much  worth  while  for  the  teacher  to  have 
a  collection  of  costumes  and  to  make  as  much  of  a  func- 
tion as  possible  of  the  dramatization,  which  not  only 
adds  to  the  children's  interest,  but  also  makes  a  begin- 
ning for  the  preparation  of  more  pretentious  plays  that 
will  be  attempted  later.  The  dramatization  should  be 
so  simple  and  well  adapted  to  the  children  that  every 
child  in  the  class  may  have  a  chance  to  take  some  part. 

In  the  reproduction  of  stories,  also,  every  child  should 
be  given  his  chance  of  expression,  however  crude  that 
may  be.  In  some  cases  the  expression  may  consist 
merely  of  a  noise,  or  a  single  word,  in  others  of  the  repeti- 
tion of  a  whole  sentence  or  even  several  sentences. 

Music  has  already  been  spoken  of  as  a  valuable  aid  in 
speech  training.  Again  it  must  be  emphasized  that 
every   child   must   be   encouraged   to   make 

.    .       .        ,       ,  .  Music 

some  attempt  to  jom  m  the  lesson  exercise, 
if  he  be  able  to  do  no  more  than  hum  the  tune.  With 
good  teaching  the  dullest  of  the  children  will  grow  out 
of  humming  the  tune,  into  saying  first  a  few  words,  then 
phrases,  and,  finally,  to  learning  the  whole  song.  Care 
must  be  taken  to  select  songs  which  not  only  appeal  to 
the  children,  but  also  are  within  their  capabilities.  The 
Mother  Goose  melodies  used  in  the  speech-training 
exercise  are  set  to  music  and  may  be  used  to  great  advan- 

C41] 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

tage  in  the  music  lesson,  as  well  as  the  songs  of  the  season 
and  the  kindergarten  songs. 

The  plan  of  work  as  outlined  for  kindergarten  may 
sound  very  formal,  and  the  work  is,  indeed,  graded  care- 
fully  to   suit  the   abilities  of   the   children. 

Conclusion  .*.    xt*      i        i»  ««tt 

However,  it  Vmeland  s  motto,  Happmess 
first,  and  all  else  follows,"  is  kept  in  mind  and  in  spirit 
throughout  the  day's  work,  no  one  need  fear  the  criticism 
that  the  work  is  too  formal  for  this  department. 

SUGGESTED    PROGRAMS    FOR    LOW-GRADE    OR    KINDER- 
GARTEN   CLASSES    FOR    DEFECTIVES 

Kindergarten  I  —  Mentality  of  Children  2  and  3  Years 

9-9.10.     Personal  cleaning,  and  milk  served. 
g,lO-935.     Assembly  —  both  kindergarten  classes  in  room  with  piano. 
9.25-9.55.     Sense  training.     (Montessori  apparatus  used  but  supple- 
mented.) 
9.55-10.25.     Manual  training.    (Emphasis  on  big  muscle  work.) 
10.25-10.40.     Recess  (supervised). 
10.40-10.55.     Physical  training  in  gymnasium. 
10.55-11.20.     Household  science  (exercises  in  practical  life). 
11.20-11.35.     Speech  training,  memory  work. 
Noon. 

1-1.40.     Rest  period.    (Children  rest  in  steamer  chairs;    windows 
open.) 
1.40-1.55.     Apparatus  work  in  gymnasium. 
1.55-2.15.     Recess  (supervised). 
2.15-2.40.     Songs  and  story  hour. 
2.45-2.50.     "Good-by"  assembly  (all  children  in  school). 

Kindergarten  II  —  Mentality  op  Children  3  and  4  Years 

9-9.10.     Personal  cleaning,  and  milk  served. 
9.10-9.25.     Assembly  —  both  kindergarten  classes  in  room  with  piano. 
9.25-9.55.     Manual  training. 
9.55-10.25.     Sense  training. 
10.25-10.40.    Recess  (supervised). 

[42] 


CURRICULUM  IN  KINDERGARTEN  DEPARTMENT 

10.40-10.55.     Physical  training  in  gymnasium. 
10.55-11.20.     Manual  training. 
11.20-11.35.     Speech  training,  memory  work. 
Noon. 

1-1.40.    Household  science  (exercises  in  practical  life). 
1.40-1.55.     Apparatus  work  in  gymnasium. 
1.55-2.15.     Recess  (supervised). 
2.15-2.45.     Songs  and  story  hour. 
(^  2.45-2.50.    "Good-by'*  assembly  (all  children  in  school). 


[43] 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

Departmental  Division  of  the  Special  School 

IN  the  departmental  division  of  the  special  school  it  is 
very  diSScult  to  arrange  a  program  for  more  than  five 
classes  or  for  fewer  than  five.  If  the  day  be  divided 
into  an  assembly  period  and  five  class  periods  of  forty 
minutes  each,  then  each  class  can  have  a  period  in  each 
room  every  day.  Better  results  are  obtained  by  this 
plan  than  by  alternating  the  classes.  The  five  periods 
are  as  follows:  Gymnasium,  kitchen,  shop,  manual  train- 
ing, and  academic  work. 

In  the  departmental  division  the  children  are  graded 
from  low  to  high  —  ranging  in  mentality  from  five  to 
nine  years  and  chronologically  from  nine  to  seventeen 
years.  The  children  are  promoted  from  the  lower  to 
the  higher  classes  as  they  show  ability. 

The  shop  should  be  equipped  with  a  work  bench  for 

each  child.    Each  bench  should  have  a  full  complement 

of  tools.    There  should  also  be  tool  cabinets, 

racks  for  holding  wood,   and   a  sink  with 

running  water. 

Of  the  five  classes  taught  in  the  shop  during  the  day, 
probably  one  or  two  will  be  girls'  classes.  There  have 
been  many  objections  offered  to  instruction  in  wood  work 
for  girls,  because,  on  the  one  hand,  girls  never  earn  their 
living  at  wood  work  and,  on  the  other  hand,  they  do 
the  work  so  poorly.  But  the  arguments  do  not  seem  valid. 
In  the  first  place,  the  shop  work  is  not  intended  for  voca- 
tional training,  but  as  a  means  of  training  the  mind  of 
the  defective  through  his  hands.  If  the  principle  that 
"working  makes  strong  the  working  brain"  is  sound, 
then  it  is  as  true  of  girls  as  of  boys,  and  the  girls  should 
have  whatever  opportimities  of  mental  training  the  shop 
work  offers. 

1:44] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

The  second  reason  so  often  given  —  that  girls  do  shop 
work  poorly  —  is  the  very  best  reason  for  giving  it  to 
them. 

The  beginnings  of  wood  work  were  made  in  the  kinder- 
garten department.  K  all  the  children  in  the  defective 
school  entered  young  enough  to  be  placed  in  the  kinder- 
garten at  first  and  were  then  promoted  to  the  lowest 
class  of  the  departmental  division,  and  from  that  on 
through  all  the  classes  of  this  division  to  the  vocational 
department,  it  would  be  a  simpler  matter  to  plan  defi- 
nitely the  kind  of  work  and  problems  to  be  taught  each 
group  of  children.  As  a  matter  of  fact  children  are  sent 
to  the  special  school  at  varying  ages  and  are  of  varying 
degrees  of  mentality  when  they  enter.  They  must  be 
graded  according  to  their  intelligence,  regardless  of  their 
training.  Therefore  many  of  the  children  in  the  lowest 
class  and  some  even  in  the  higher  classes  of  the  depart- 
mental division  have  little  more  ability  than  the  children 
in  the  kindergarten  department,  though  they  have  more 
intelligence  and  therefore  improve  much  faster.  Their 
work  consists  mostly,  then,  in  learning  to  use  tools  in  a 
simple  way. 

While  from  the  teacher's  viewpoint  the  work  is  a 
matter  of  teaching  the  use  of  tools,  from  the  child's 
viewpoint  it  is  a  matter  of  being  allowed  to  The  use  of 
hammer,  and  saw,  and  plane,  and  to  make  *®®^^  leamed 
something  that  appeals  to  him.  The  question  is  often 
asked,  "Is  the  child  to  make  what  he  pleases?"  The 
answer  is  both  "yes"  and  "no."  It  depends  on  his 
stage  of  training. 

In  wood  work,  as  in  other  subjects,  it  is  necessary  to 
begin  "where  the  child  is."  A  good  way  to  find  out 
"where  he  is"  is  to  follow  the  child's  lead  for  a  while  and 
thus  discover  what  his  abiUties  are  and  where  his  interests 

[45] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

lie.    When  a  child  goes  to  the  shop  and  says,  "I  want 

to  make  a  table,"  or  a  bench,  or  a  box,  as  the  case  may 

be,  and  is  allowed  to  make  what  he  wants  to,  the  teacher 

finds  out  what  the  child  can  do  when  he  really  puts  forth 

his  best  efforts,  as  he  does  when  he  works  on  something 

that  he  actually  wants  to  do.    Then,  when  the  teacher 

learns,  as  she  generally  does  with  this  beginning  group 

in  the  shop,  that  a  "table"  means  to  the  child  any  flat 

piece  of  wood  with  any  number  of  irregular  strips  nailed 

for  legs,  or  that  a  "box"  or  a  "bench"  means  several 

pieces   of   board  put  together   into   something  equally 

crude  and  useless,  she  reahzes  "where  the  child  is"  and 

knows  just  what  the  next  step  should  be. 

The  wise  teacher,  who  allowed  the  children  to  fill  their 

crude  "boxes"  with  soil  and  plant  seeds  in  them,  thus 

definitely  and  concretely  taught  them  that 

satisfaction  of    they  could  make  something  which  could  be 

making  what      uscd.    With  this  Small  beginning  she  care- 
can  be  used        «   n      i    i      i  i  .         i 

fully  led  them  to  observe  m  what  way  the 
boxes  could  be  improved,  so  that  they  would  be  more 
useful. 

Another  group  of  children,  a  grade  higher  in  mentality, 
seemed  always  to  want  to  make  benches.  Benches  are, 
on  the  whole,  a  good  problem  with  which  to  teach  sawing, 
planing,  and  nailing;  but  it  was  a  puzzle  to  the  teacher 
to  understand  why  the  boys  wanted  to  make  them,  and 
why  they  would  work  at  them  so  persistently,  because 
to  the  teacher  the  benches,  though  a  useful  problem, 
seemed  wholly  uninteresting. 

A  visit  to  the  homes  showed  that  these  benches  were 
much  in  demand  for  the  mother  and  sisters  at  home  to 
rest  their  feet  on  while  sewing  or  otherwise  doing  sweat- 
shop work.  The  benches  needed  only  to  be  strong  — 
whether  they  were  polished,  or  stained,  or  not,  did  not 

[46] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

in  the  least  matter  to  the  users.  This  explained  why  the 
boys  had  taken  no  interest  whatever  in  the  finish  of  the 
bench. 

It  seems,  then,  that  strength  and  use  are  the  ideals 
which  the  children  trained  in  the  shop  must  be  taught 
at  first.  Use  must  be  judged,  moreover,  from  the  child's 
point  of  view.  A  coat  hanger  is  a  very  useful  article, 
but  children  who  have  never  used  one  will  take  no  interest 
in  making  a  coat  hanger.  The  teacher  should  not  reason 
that  because  a  certain  article  is  useful  to  her  it  will  be 
equally  useful  to  the  child  or  his  parents.  Their  needs 
are  probably  quite  different. 

Another  question  often  asked  is,  "Shall  I  insist  that 
the  child  finish  what  he  has  begun  before  he  begins  some- 
thing else?"  The  answer  is  again  sometimes  "yes"  and 
sometimes  "no."  Even  the  best  of  teachers  will  some- 
times make  a  mistake  and  give  the  child  a  problem  which 
is  far  beyond  him.  In  that  case,  the  teacher  cannot 
insist  on  the  child  finishing  something  which  in  all  prob- 
ability is  too  diflficult  for  him  to  do.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  the  teacher  knows  that  what  she  has  asked  the  child  to 
do  is  entirely  within  his  ability,  there  is  no  reason  why 
she  should  not  require  him  to  finish  the  problem  which 
he  has  begun. 

The  beginners  in  the  shop  should  be  given,  with  few 
exceptions,  problems  which  they  can  finish  within  the 
period,  or  even,  sometimes,  in  a  part  of  a  period.  Gradu- 
ally the  children  should  be  trained  to  begin  work  one 
day  and  finish  it  the  next,  and  so  on  until  they  are  trained 
to  work  on  a  given  problem  until  it  is  finished,  no  matter 
how  long  it  takes.  Their  span  of  attention  can  be  in- 
creased only  by  careful,  understanding  teaching. 

Still  another  question  often  asked  is,  "Shall  the  children 
take  home  or  appropriate  as  their  own  everything  they 

C47: 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

make  in  the  shop?"  And  still  again  the  answer  is  some- 
times "y^s"  and  sometimes  "no." 

When  the  children  first  enter  the  shop,  they  will  prob- 
ably want  to  make  things  for  themselves  only,  and  there 
Children  the  shop  teacher  will  have  to  begin.     The 

w^^for°  ^^^^^  ^^^^  make  things  for  himself,  at  first, 

others  and  then  with  careful,  persistent  teaching  will 

be  trained  to  make  something  for  some  one  in  close 
touch  with  himself.  Gradually  he  will  be  trained  to  do 
things  for  his  school,  or  for  other  schools.  This  -height  of 
altruism  is  not  to  be  attained  in  a  short  time,  even  with 
normal  children,  much  less  with  defective  children. 

Thus  far  only  the  ideals  of  usefulness  and  strength  have 
been  mentioned.  These  are  merely  steps  on  the  way  to 
better  things.  The  ideals  in  the  shop  of  a  defective 
school  are  no  lower  than  the  ideals  in  the  shop  of  a  high 
school,  —  at  least,  in  so  far  as  the  same  problems  are  at- 
tempted. Many  of  the  same  problems  are  attempted; 
bookcases,  library  tables,  tables  for  use  in  the  children's 
own  classroom,  chairs  of  various  sorts,  and  so  on  are  made 
in  the  defective  school  as  well  as  in  the  high  school. 
These  problems  are  attempted  only  after  the  boys  have 
had  good  training  in  the  shop  and  are  in  the  highest  class 
of  the  departmental  division  of  the  school.  Being  well 
trained,  they  are  then  ready  to  turn  out  as  well  finished 
a  product  as  is  turned  out  of  any  school  shop.  By  this 
time  they  have  learned  what  it  means  to  have  a  piece  of 
work  stand  "true";  they  know  that  an  article  must  be 
thoroughly  sandpapered  and  polished  to  be  finished  and 
look  well.  They  learn  not  to  be  satisfied  with  anything 
less  than  strength,  accuracy,  symmetry,  and  polish. 

The  shop  in  a  defective  school  is  apt  to  be  at  a  dis- 
advantage because  the  teacher  is  not  so  well  trained  in 
her  line  as  the  shop  teacher  in  a  high  school,  for  instance. 

C48] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

However,  that  drawback  is  rapidly  being  overcome  by 
the  teachers  themselves,  who  take  all  the  training  neces- 
sary to  equip  them  for  teaching  the  subject,  and  the 
results  are  correspondingly  improved. 

The  point  which  needs  most  to  be  emphasized  is  that 
all  the  work  must  be  carefully  graded.  As  in  all  teaching, 
each  step  must  proceed  from  an  easier  stage  and  lead 
to  the  next  more  difficult  step.  Not  in  wood  work,  more 
than  any  other  subject,  should  a  child  repeat  a  problem 
after  he  has  learned  to  do  it  reasonably  well;  he  should 
be  given  a  newer,  more  difficult  piece  of  work. 

Defective  children  often  have  very  definite  notions  of 
what  they  want  to  make  and  how  they  want  to  make  it. 
These  "notions"  have  been  called  delusions.   Defective 
and  they  too  are  no  doubt  very  much  akin.   chUdren 
The  teacher  knows  that  the  way  a  child  is   te&^^LT 
planning  to  make  a  thing  will  not  produce   correct  method 
the  result.    The  child  very  often  cannot  be   ""'  ^'°*'^^^ 
convinced  by  mere  talking  that  the  teacher's  method  is 
right,  —  he  recognizes  no  authority  of  a  superior  mind,  — 
so  he  insists  on  his  own  method.    And  so  by  **  trial  and 
error"  he  makes  the  attempt,  with  the  wise  teacher  near 
by  to  give  suggestions  of  a  better  way  when  difficulties 
appear. 

Nowhere  is  it  more  apparent  than  in  the  shop,  that 
even  the  slightest  difficulty  appears  insurmountable  to 
defective  children.  When  the  plane  is  a  bit  hard  to 
push  to  get  the  right  results,  "there  is  something  the 
matter  with  the  plane,"  and  it  is  laid  aside  until  the  teacher 
has  time  to  look  at  it.  She  tries  it  and  it  works  per- 
fectly —  it  needed  only  more  muscle.  When  there  is  more 
resistance  than  usual  in  sawing  a  board,  it  is  because 
"the  saw  won't  work,"  and  so  on  with  each  tool,  —  the 
cause  of  the  difficulty  is  always  with  the  tool,  not  with 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

the  operator.  This  diflSeulty  may  never  be  entirely  erad- 
icated, but  it  is  reduced  to  a  minimum  by  careful  teaching. 

There  is  often  a  very  decided  element  of  uncertainty 
in  the  result  of  the  work  of  the  defective  child.  When 
Results  often  the  teacher  is  absolutely  certain  in  her  own 
uncertain  mind  that  a  given  child  can  do  a  given  prob- 

lem, and  she  leaves  it  to  him  to  do,  the  results  are  often 
disappointing.  For  instance,  a  boy  was  making  his 
second  medicine  cabinet.  He  had  had  practice  in  making 
and  placing  about  five  shelves,  all  of  which  had  been 
most  satisfactory.  The  teacher  left  him  to  finish  the 
last  one  by  himself.  This  last  shelf  was  as  crude  and 
placed  in  the  cabinet  in  as  poor  a  way  as  could  possibly 
be  imagined,  and  the  boy  was  much  surprised  to  find 
that  the  result  was  unsatisfactory.  Five  times  he  had 
been  successful,  and  the  sixth  time  he  failed  utterly. 
The  boy  was  a  perfectly  tractable  child,  much  interested 
in  his  problem.  The  only  reason  that  could  be  assigned 
was  that  he  had  become  fatigued  and  had  worked  beyond 
his  limit,  and  instead  of  talking  and  becoming  a  disci- 
plinary case,  he  had  continued  his  work  and  ruined  his 
problem. 

It  is  one  of  the  problems  of  the  shop  to  increase  the 
period  of  successful  work,  and  that  again  can  only  be 
accomplished  by  careful  teaching  and  an  understanding 
of  the  children. 

By  carefully  grading  the  children,  and  by  promoting 
them  from  the  lower  groups  to  the  higher  classes  as  they 
become  capable,  it  has  been  proved  that  many 
children  who,  when  they  enter  the  lower 
classes,  know  nothing  of  the  use  of  tools,  by  the  time 
they  finish  the  highest  class  are  able  to  compete  with  the 
lower  classes  of  the  high  school  in  the  perfection  and 
finish  of  their  problems. 

C50] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

No  defective  children  in  the  special  classes  in  Newark 
have  been  found  who  could  as  yet  be  taught  to  read  plans 
and  working  drawings  sufficiently  well  to  work  from  them, 
or  even  to  be  absolutely  reUable  in  their  measuring.  To 
say  that  they  must  be  most  carefully  supervised  does  not 
mean  that  the  teacher  does  the  work  for  them;  it  means 
that  she  teaches  them  how  to  do  it,  and  supervises  them 
while  they  are  doing  it. 

It  may  be  that  it  would  be  possible  to  teach  defectives 
to  measure  accurately  and  read  working  drawings  as 
well,  if  they  were  kept  in  school  long  enough,  or  if 
their  training  were  begun  soon  enough,  both  of  which 
conditions  do  not  appear  at  this  time  to  be  likely  to 
be  met. 

This,  then,  is  a  question  still  to  be  worked  out  to  a 
conclusion;  either  it  will  be  proved  that  defectives  can- 
not be  taught  accurate  measuring  or  plan  reading,  or 
some  new  plan  will  be  forthcoming  which  will  overcome 
these  difficulties. 

A  somewhat  rough  division  of  types  of  work  among 
the  different  classes  of  children  would  be  as  follows : 

Low-grade  boys  —  Mentalities  of  five  or  six  years. 

Crude  tables  and  boxes,  sizes  varying  from  about  six 
inches  to  a  foot 

Crude  benches  of  a  size  to  be  practically  useful 

Toys  —  toy  wagons,  automobiles,  animals,  sometimes 
furnishings  for  a  playhouse 

With  these  problems  they  learn  to  use  the  plane,  the 
various  saws,  and  the  hammer  in  the  simplest  ways. 
They  learn  also  a  little  of  the  value  of  strength, 
because  they  will  want  a  toy  to  last  while  they  play 
with  it.  They  learn,  too,  a  little  of  the  value  of 
finish,  because  they  want  the  toys  to  look  well. 

[51] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

Middle-grade  boys  —  Mentalities  of  seven  or  eight  years. 
These  boys  can  handle  the  simple  tools  reasonably 
well;  they  like  to  do  what  they  call  "real  shop  work." 
They  make: 

Magazine  racks  Taborets 

Book  racks  Broom  holders 

Wooden  wastebaskets  Knife  boxes  for  the  kitchen 

Salt  boxes  for  the  kitchen 

The  boys  make  these  articles  strong  and  finish  them 
well.  While  they  make  some  things  for  themselves, 
they  are  most  happy  to  make  things  for  the  school  or 
for  presents  to  some  one  they  know. 

High-grade  boys  —  Mentalities  of  eight  or  nine  years. 
The  work  of  these  boys  easily  takes  rank  with  the 
upper-grade  work  in  the  grammar  schools.  They 
make: 

Tables  of  various  sorts,  as  library  tables,  tables  for 

classroom  use,  tea  tables 
Chairs   of   various   sorts,   as   steamer  chairs,   mission 

chairs,  solid  wood  chairs 
Medicine  cabinets  for  bathrooms 
Bookcases  Desks  Hat  racks 

This  furniture  is  all  made  with  the  proper  joints. 
There  is  no  makeshift  nailing  in  this  class.  The 
problems  are  strong,  useful,  and  well  finished. 

Low-grade  girls  —  Mentalities  of  five,  six,  or  seven  years. 
The  low-grade  girls  do  about  the  same  work  as  the 
low-grade  boys.     Toy  dolls  find  much  favor  with 
this  class. 
[52] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

High-grade  girls  —  Mentalities  of  eight  or  nine  years. 
These  girls  make  various  kinds  of  baskets  for  use  in 
the  sewing  class  or  for  presents  to  some  one.  They 
make  devices  for  holding  spools  of  thread,  etc. 
When  girls  have  learned  this  much  in  the  shop,  they 
are  taken  out  of  the  shop  and  assigned  to  other 
work. 

There  are  maay  different  forms  which  may  be  taught 
under  the  heading  Industrial  Arts,  but  the    n.  industrial 
time  in  school  is   limited  and  therefore  a  •^ 
selection  must  be  made. 

Although  weaving  is  very  generally  taught  in  the  public 
schools,  yet  not  a  few  defective  children  come  from  the 
regular  grades  to  the  special  classes  not 
knowing  how  to  weave.  Teachers  have  been 
heard  to  say  that  the  children  in  their  classes  were  so 
low-grade  that  they  could  not  learn  to  weave.  Again 
it  is  a  matter  of  beginning  "where  the  child  is,"  and 
using  material  that  is  of  size  and  quality  that  he  can 
handle. 

The  material  for  the  beginner  should  be  large  and 
easily  handled.  With  some  children  it  has  been  a  help 
to  use  the  oilcloth  strips  with  the  slat  weavers;  with 
others,  the  ordinary  weaving  frame  strung  up  with  alter- 
nate colors,  so  that  the  teacher  can  say  "under  the  red 
and  over  the  white,"  for  instance. 

While  weaving  is  important  in  this  branch  of  the  work 
because  it  leads  to  basket  weaving,  rug  making,  chair 
caning,  and  even  sewing  and  brush  making,  still  it  should 
not  be  overdone.  The  children  should  not  be  kept  at 
this  early  stage  of  the  work  one  minute  after  they  are 
able  and  ready  to  learn  something  more  useful  and  worth 
while. 

[583 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

It  is  a  temptation,  apparently,  sometimes  to  keep 
children  at  the  weaving  longer  than  necessary  to  teach 
them  this  phase,  because  the  material  can  be  kept  in 
their  desks  and  because  it  is  quiet  work.  However,  the 
object  of  teaching  these  defective  children  anything  is 
to  train  them  to  become  more  efficient,  not  merely  to 
find  work  which  is  quiet  and  easy. 

The  child  who  has  learned  to  weave  is  ready  to  learn 

to  make  baskets.     The  material  for  the  beginning  baskets 

should  be  coarse  enough  to  be  easily  handled, 

and  the  baskets  to  be  made  should  be  neither 

too  small  nor  tob  large. 

There  has  been  a  tendency  of  late  to  think  that  basketry 
has  taken  up  more  time  in  the  special  classes  than  the 
results  have  warranted.  In  some  places  it  has  been 
taken  out  of  the  special  classes  altogether.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  basketry  has  often  been  made  too  much  of 
in  many  special  classes.  That  a  few  people  do  not  know 
the  use  of  this  subject  as  a  means  of  training  does  not, 
however,  prove  that  it  is  not  in  some  degree  worth 
while. 

If  the  child  be  led  from  the  simple  steps  to  the  more 
difficult  steps,  basket  making  will  serve  as  a  very  useful 
subject  in  manual  training.  There  are,  apparently, 
few  opportunities  for  defective  children  —  or  any  children, 
for  that  matter  —  to  earn  their  Uving  by  making  baskets, 
so  it  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  great  value  to  the 
children  in  making  over  and  over  again  the  same  kind 
of  basket,  an  article  which  has  no  sale  value,  except  to 
philanthropic  individuals. 

Since  in  this  departmental  division  of  the  special  school 
the  training  is  intended  to  develop  power  which  will  lead 
to  ability  to  take  vocational  training,  the  various  subjects 
are  considered  from  that  point  of  view. 

C54] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

Vocational  training  derived  from  the  same  subjects 
will  be  discussed  later. 

The  rug  weaving  ought  to  be  done  on  foot  looms.  The 
Ideal,  the  Little  Dandy,  and  the  John  Lane  looms  can 
be  recommended.  The  children  should  even- 
tually be  taught  to  "set  up"  the  loom  and 
to  thread  it.  From  the  beginning  the  results  may  be  of 
commercial  value,  if  too  ambitious  patterns  are  not 
attempted. 

The  connection  between  weaving  and  sewing  may  not 
be  clearly  seen.  Through  weaving,  the  child  learns  the 
control  of  materials  and    needles  which  is 

Scwius 

needed  when  she  begins  to  sew.  With  that 
control  taught  before  she  begins  to  do  any  sewing,  the 
girl  is  able  to  turn  out  better  results  and  is  not  quite  so 
discouraged  at  her  first  attempts.  The  first  problems 
should  be  neither  too  large  nor  too  small  and  should  be 
interesting  to  the  child.  Dolls'  clothes,  while  often 
having  the  element  of  interest  to  the  child,  are  usually 
too  small  for  beginning  problems. 

Problems  which  have  proved  successful  with  some 
teachers  are  counterpanes  made  of  squares  of  unbleached 
muslin  upon  which  were  drawn  various  animals  which 
the  children  had  outlined.  The  outlining  of  the  ani- 
mals, the  sewing  together  of  the  squares,  and  the  finishing 
of  the  counterpane  give  the  children  the  opportunity  of 
learning  the  elementary  principles  of  sewing.  A  sewing 
bag  offers  a  very  good  beginning  problem  as  well  as  one 
which  has  a  definite  use,  provided  the  bag  is  sufficiently 
large.  These  merely  illustrate  the  type  of  beginning 
problems. 

The  girls  are  next  ready  to  make  an  outing-flannel 
petticoat  or  kitchen  apron  for  themselves.  Caps  and 
white  aprons  for  the  kitchen,  middy  blouses,  and  bloomers 

C55: 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

are  problems  which  follow.  Lastly,  the  girls  are  able  to 
make  their  own  dresses. 

The  girls  should  be  encouraged  to  bring  to  the  sewing 
class  garments  that  need  repairing  and  garments  to  be 
made  over.  This  is  a  very  important  phase  of  the  work, 
because  the  children  in  many  of  the  special  classes  have 
to  wear  the  cast-off  or  outgrown  clothing  of  the  older 
members  of  the  family,  or  the  cast-off  and  worn-out 
garments  given  to  them  through  charitable  agencies. 

If  the  work  in  sewing  is  carefully  graded  and  the  children 
well  prepared  for  each  step  or  stage  of  the  work  when 
they  reach  it,  the  results  in  repairing  and  making  over 
garments  will  be  surprisingly  satisfactory. 

A  teacher  who  teaches  sewing  to  defective  children 
recently  made  the  observation  that  when  she  found  a 
child  who  was  not  interested  in  her  sewing  and  who  did 
not  want  to  finish  what  she  was  doing,  she  invariably 
discovered  that  the  cause  of  this  was  the  fact  that  the 
child  had  been  given  a  problem  which  was  too  difficult 
and  for  which  she  had  not  been  properly  trained. 

While  hand  sewing  should  be  thoroughly  taught  and 
should  not  be  neglected,  still  there  is  no  reason  why  the 
Machine  machine  should  not  be  used  in  making  the 

sewing  larger    problems.     The    machines    are    not 

broken,  nor  do  many  accidents  occur  when  even  low- 
grade  children  are  taught  to  use  the  sewing  machines. 
The  work  on  the  machine  is  splendid  for  coordination  as 
well  as  for  its  practical  value. 

The  child  is  allowed,  at  first,  to  stitch  on  a  piece  of 
smooth  paper  with  the  machine  unthreaded.  As  she 
gradually  gets  control  of  the  machine  she  is  given  a  piece 
of  paper  with  lines  and  she  is  expected  to  follow  the  lines. 
After  practice  with  the  paper  she  is  given  a  problem  of 
cloth  on  which  she  uses  the  machine  threaded,  —  such 

C563 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

as,  for  instance,  an  iron  holder  which  will  be  stitched 
"hit  or  miss"  and  then  an  iron  holder,  perhaps,  which 
will  be  stitched  in  rows;  then  she  has  a  problem  which 
involves  the  stitching  of  long  seams;  and,  finally,  she  is 
given  the  more  diflBcult  and  complicated  work  in  garments, 
dresses,  etc. 

The  sewing  on  of  buttons,  hooks  and  eyes,  the  making 
of  buttonholes,  the  darning  of  stockings,  and  so  on, 
through  the  whole  Hst  of  the  practical  applications,  are 
problems  taught  in  the  sewing  class. 

This  discussion  is  not  intended  to  teach  a  person  who 
knows  nothing  about  the  subject  how  to  teach  sewing 
to  defective  children,  but  merely  to  outline  the  general 
principles. 

Many  teachers  complain  that  the  pupils  in  the  defective 
classes  have  unusual  difl&culty  in  chair  caning,  and  even 
cannot  learn  to  cane  chairs  at  all.    Others 

•1  i»       1      li  •  Chair  caning 

say  that  the  pupils  are  so  fond  of  canmg 
chairs  that  they  want  to  keep  at  the  caning  all  day. 
Both  these  statements  might  be  true  of  the  same  child 
at  different  stages  of  his  training. 

Through  careful  teaching  of  weaving  and  other  ele- 
mentary branches  of  the  industrial  arts  the  children  should 
be  led  gradually  to  do  chair  caning.  Practice  in  weaving 
with  flat  reed  likewise  should  precede  chair  caning. 
Weaving  frames  may  be  useful  in  some  cases,  but  for 
the  most  part  children  can  be  taught  to  cane  by  using 
a  real  chair  from  the  beginning.  A  real  chair  has  much 
more  interest  to  the  child  than  a  frame,  which  has  no 
particular  value  when  it  is  finished. 

Chair  caning  is  diflScult,  and  it  takes  considerable 
"  stick-to-it-ive-ness  "  to  work  at  a  chair  until  it  is  finished; 
therefore  the  children  should  be  trained  to  the  point 
where  they  are  ready  for  this  difficult  step.    K  the  teacher 

C573 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

gives  this  problem  before  the  children  are  ready,  the 
children  should  not  be  blamed  or  punished  because  they 
"balk"  or  become  irritable  and  show  no  interest  in  their 
task. 

Chair  caning  as  a  vocational  problem  will  be  discussed 
later. 

Brush  making  has  become  a  popular  form  of  manual 
training  in  classes  for  defectives  —  and  it  seems  de- 
^    ^      ^,       servedly  so.     Brushes  are  so  varied  in  their 

Brush  makiiig        ,  , 

Size  and  finish  that  different  grades  of  children 
can  be  taught  brush  making  with  much  success. 

Let  the  teacher  herself  learn  how  to  make  the  different 
kinds  of  brushes  well,  and  she  will  have  no  difficulty  in 
getting  good  results  from  the  children. 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  work  must  be  graded.  The 
children  must  begin  on  brushes  which  will  not  take  too 
long  to  finish,  and  the  first  material  used  should  be  that 
which  is  the  most  easily  handled.  One  advantage  which 
brush  making  has  over  some  other  forms  of  hand  work 
is  that  even  the  poorest  result  may  often  be  put  to  some 
use.  Much  care  should  be  taken  in  cutting  the  bristles 
and  in  finishing  the  backs  of  the  brushes. 

The  brushes,  when  finished,  may  be  sent  to  the  supply 
department  to  be  distributed  to  the  various  schools  in 
the  city,  thus  giving  a  return  to  the  city  and  thereby 
lessening  the  expense  of  the  material  or  even  entirely 
paying  its  cost. 

There  are  numerous  forms  of  hand  work  which  might 
be  taught  in  the  industrial  arts  department,  such  as 
other  forms  bcut-iron  work,  brass  work,  millinery,  con- 
of  hand  work  crctc  work,  and  many  others.  Millinery  is 
a  practical  subject.  However,  time  in  the  defective 
classes  is  limited,  as  in  other  classes,  to  five  hours  a 
day,  five  days  a  week;   so,  while  many  different  forms 

C58] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

of  work  are  valuable  and  may  even  seem  desirable,  it  is 
not  possible  to  teach  all  that  one  would  wish  to.  There- 
fore a  selection  must  be  made,  and  this  selection  must 
always  be  made  according  to  the  value  to  the  children. 

Hitherto,  emphasis  has  been  placed  on  the  forms  of 
work  just  discussed.  When  these  have  fulfilled  their 
purpose  they  will  be  replaced  by  other  kinds  of  manual 
training. 

Concrete  work  and  millinery  are  best  taught  in  the 
trade  classes. 

If  the  manual  training,  the  shop,  and  all  other  work 
were  taken  out  of  the  school  for  defectives  and  only  the 
kitchen  left,  it  would  still  be  possible  to  m.  The 
train  the  defectives  in  the  school  in  a  credit-  ^^tchen 
able  manner.  The  work  in  the  kitchen  not  only  is  valuable 
as  a  means  of  development  of  common  sense,  but  also 
has  an  important  place  in  vocational  training  as  well. 
Moreover,  it  appeals  to  a  deep  child-interest  to  play  in 
water. 

By  constant  concrete  repetition  the  defective  children 
learn  that  hot  water  scalds  and  that  hot  irons  scorch 
cloth  and  burn  hands  if  handled  without  a  holder.  They 
learn  the  difference  between  clean  and  dirty  in  the  laundry 
work  and  in  scrubbing.  They  learn  how  to  cook  and 
serve  simple  luncheons.  They  learn  how  to  go  to  the 
store  and  buy  the  articles  needed  in  the  preparation  of 
a  lunch. 

In  a  hundred  ways  they  learn  in  the  kitchen  to  see,  to 
think,  and  to  act  in  such  a  way  that  each  step  is  tested 
and  adjusted  as  they  proceed.  The  kitchen  work  is  as 
valuable  in  training  the  boys  as  in  training  the  girls,  for 
the  boys  need  just  as  much  training  in  common  sense 
as  the  girls,  and  since  that  is  the  chief  value  of  the 
kitchen  work  in  the  education  of  defectives,   there  is 

1592 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

every  reason  why  the  boys  should  have  the  benefit  of 
such  training. 

In  order  to  get  real  training  from  the  kitchen  work,  it 
is  necessary  that  the  work  be  as  well  graded  as  the  other 
branches  of  school  work.  The  teacher  in  the  kitchen  is 
training  children  rather  than  getting  work  done.  Each 
child  is  kept  at  a  certain  piece  of  work  only  until  he 
knows  how  to  do  it,  and  then  he  is  given  the  next  more 
difficult  step.  The  teacher  is  thus  constantly  teaching 
each  grade  of  work  to  different  groups  of  children,  gradu- 
ally taking  away  her  support  and  direction  in  order  to 
teach  the  children  to  use  their  own  "judgment"  in  ac- 
complishing certain  tasks. 

Many  of  the  children  of  the  defective  classes  get  work, 
when  they  leave  school,  at  "odd  jobs."  They  become 
dish  washers  in  hotels,  cleaning  men  or  women  in  office 
buildings,  or  cooks'  assistants,  janitors'  assistants,  tailors' 
assistants,  and  so  on  down  the  hst.  What  more  valu- 
able service  can  the  school  do  than  to  train  them  for 
this?  Of  one  boy  it  was  said,  "He  has  the  cleanest 
barber  shop  in  the  neighborhood";  of  another,  "He  is 
a  big  help  in  the  bakery  because  he  knows  how  to  clean 
and  be  clean." 

When  directed  by  a  superior  mind  the  work  of  cleaning 
requires  muscle  and  not  much  brain,  and  hence  the  defec- 
tive with  his  man's  body  and  child's  brain  can  handle  this 
kind  of  work.  Many  of  the  defective  boys  trained  in  this 
work,  and  especially  the  colored  defective  boys,  would 
be  valuable  house  servants.  Theoretically  this  ought  to 
be  true  of  the  girls  in  the  defective  classes.  However, 
among  the  foreign  population  there  seems  to  be  an  aversion 
to  domestic  service  because  it  takes  the  children  away 
from  their  homes,  and  so  they  seldom  listen  to  a  prop- 
osition to  be  a  servant  in  a  household. 

[603 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

The  routine  in  the  kitchen  is  best  described  by  Miss 
Burrow,  a  teacher  of  household  science,  who  writes  in 
Ungraded  Magazine  as  follows: 

Training  the  Defective  through  Household  Science 

The  departmental  plan  makes  it  possible  for  all  children  in  the 
special  school,  except  the  kindergarten,  to  have  training  in  the 
kitchen. 

The  day  is  divided  into  five  periods  of  forty  minutes 
each. 

Most  of  the  work  of  the  morning  classes  consists  of  a  prepara- 
tion for  lunch  which  is  served  to  about  fifty  of  our  children. 
The  work  of  the  afternoon  classes  consists  of  clearing  away  the 
lunch  and  cleaning  the  kitchen. 

The  first-period  class  is  a  group  of  little  girls  who  are  about 
ten  years  of  age,  but  who  are  only  five  or  six  years  old  mentally. 
It  is  not  a  diflScult  task  to  arouse  interest  for  housework  with 
these  httle  people.  They  are  only  too  anxious  to  do  things. 
With  few  exceptions  these  girls  did  nothing  to  help  about  the 
house  at  home.  At  first  they  were  much  more  of  a  hindrance 
than  a  help. 

These  little  ones  are  particularly  fond  of  having  their  hands 
in  water,  and,  as  milk  is  served  every  morning  to  all  the  children 
in  the  school,  eight  out  of  the  fifteen  are  busy  washing,  drying, 
and  putting  away  cups  and  milk  bottles. 

There  are  many  lessons  connected  with  dish  washing.  First, 
the  soiled  cups  must  be  collected,  then  each  washer  must  get 
two  pans  of  hot  water,  one  for  washing  the  dishes  and  one  for* 
rinsing.  She  must  also  learn  the  difference  between  dishcloths 
and  washcloths.  The  driers  must  get  trays  on  which  to  put  the 
clean  dishes.  They  must  learn  the  difference  between  hand 
towels  and  dish  towels.  Those  who  put  away  the  dishes  have  a 
more  difficult  task,  that  of  carrying  a  tray  of  cups  across  the 
kitchen  and  arranging  them  in  the  closet. 

Of  course,  until  they  have  done  this  many,  many  times,  we 
have  pans  of  water  spilt,  wet  aprons,  broken  dishes,  and  burned 

C61] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

hands.  Eventually,  however,  they  learn  to  do  these  thmgs  in  a 
sensible  way. 

Then,  there  is  always  plenty  of  laundry  work  to  do.  Hand 
towels,  dish  towels,  tablecloths,  curtains,  and  aprons  must  be 
washed  and  ironed.  Four  of  this  first  class  are  usually  busy 
learning  to  wash,  two  at  the  stationary  tubs  and  two  at  large 
pans  with  small  washboards. 

The  two  brightest  from  this  class  are  sent  to  the  store  to  buy 
what  is  needed  for  the  luncheon.  At  first  this  means  no  more 
than  taking  a  list  to  the  store  and  returning  with  the  supplies; 
but  later  they  learn  to  read  what  is  written  on  the  paper  and 
what  certain  articles  cost.  Then  they  can  be  trusted  with  the 
money  and  will  return  with  the  correct  change. 

A  lesson  on  ironing  must  be  very  closely  supervised.  One 
little  girl  took  hold  of  a  hot  iron  without  a  holder,  and  then 
called  to  me,  saying,  "Oh,  Miss  B.,  it  cooks!'* 

A  mother  said  to  me  not  long  ago,  "Christine  is  so  helpful 
at  home  since  she  has  been  coming  to  this  school.  Why,  she 
would  rather  stay  in  and  help  me  in  the  afternoons  than  play 
in  the  street  with  other  children.  She  is  so  particular,  she 
won't  wash  dishes  in  cold  or  dirty  water." 

The  second-period  class  is  one  of  untrained  boys  about  twelve 
Low-grade  years  old,  who  have  the  mentality  of  six-  and 

boys  in  the  seven-year-old    children.      The    three    brightest 

kitchen  boys  prepare  the  vegetables,  and    luncheon    is 

started.  The  others  are  busy  scrubbing  tables,  counters,  ice 
box,  and  wood  work.  Six  small  gas  stoves  are  shined.  This 
class  also  does  laundry  work  and  ironing. 

Much  of  the  work  of  this  class  must  be  done  over  by  the 
fourth-period-class  boys,  who  are  of  the  same  mental  age  as 
these  boys,  but  they  are  older  and  trained  in  the  kitchen  work, 
having  attended  the  special  school  longer. 

The  third-period  class,  "our  big  girls,"  about  fifteen  years 
High-grade  old,  but  only  seven  and   eight  mentally,  are  a 

girls  problem.    The  ones  who  have  had  the  training 

and  have  been  promoted  from  the  younger  class  do  very  good 
work.     They  iron  tablecloths,  window  curtains,  and  aprons. 

i:62] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION   OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

They  also  set  the  table  for  lunch,  cut  and  spread  the  bread, 
serve  soup,  make  and  serve  the  dessert  and  cocoa.  With  super- 
vision these  girls  who  have  had  four  or  five  years'  training  would 
make  valuable  helpers  in  a  home.  The  ones  who  come  to  us  at 
fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age  and  stay  only  a  year  or  two  are 
apt  to  want  to  sit  around  and  gossip,  arrange  their  ribbons, 
jewelry,  etc. 

The  fourth-period  class,  or  the  first  afternoon  class,  cleans 
the  kitchen  after  the  lunch.  These  boys  are  Middle-grade 
trained  and  succeed  in  making  our  kitchen  shine.  ^^^^ 
Dishes  are  washed,  dried,  and  put  away,  stoves  shined,  zinc 
counters  shined,  irons  scoured,  sink  cleaned,  pails  scoured,  and 
dish  towels  washed.  In  fact,  everything  is  scoured  and  scrubbed 
except  the  floor. 

The  floor  is  scrubbed  by  the  fifth-period  boys,  "our  big  boys,'* 
who  are  over  fifteen  years  old  but  only  eight  or  High-grade 
nine  mentally.  These  fellows  don  aprons,  and  ^°y^ 
with  pails  of  warm  water,  scrub  brushes,  scrub  cloths,  and  soap, 
wait  for  the  word  "begin."  In  less  then  forty  minutes  they 
succeed  in  scrubbing  a  kitchen  44  X  51  feet.  Pails  and  brushes  are 
rinsed,  cloths  washed,  and  all  returned  to  their  proper  places 
within  that  time. 

That  which  we  strive  for  in  the  kitchen  is  to  have  a  place 
for  everything  and  everything  in  that  place,  also  for  hospital 
cleanliness  in  every  particular. 

This  high-grade  or  rather  well-trained  class  of  boys,  which  is 
about  ready  to  be  graduated  from  the  kitchen  into  a  vocational- 
training  class,  shows  us  what  can  be  done  to  the  little,  unkempt, 
troublesome  defective  boy.  It  is  not  long  after  cleaning  things 
in  the  kitchen  that  the  child  begins  to  be  clean  himself.  Common 
sense  is  trained,  not  by  thought,  but  by  experience.  He  has  also 
learned  that  he  can  get  a  job  if  he  is  able  to  clean  well.  A  num- 
ber of  these  boys  have  work  after  school  hours.  One  washes 
dishes  at  a  restaurant;  several  clean  windows  and  scrub  the 
floors  and  counters  in  bakeshops.  Ideals  of  sanitary  living  have 
been  transferred  to  the  home.  Mike,  who  was  such  a  dirty, 
apparently  good-for-nothing  little  chap  when  he  came  to  us  four 

[63] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

years  ago,  invited  me  to  come  to  his  home.  He  said  he  had 
cleaned  it  just  Hke  the  school  kitchen  —  scrubbed  the  walls, 
floor,  windows,  table,  and  chairs  —  and  that  his  big  brother  had 
made  enough  money  at  election  time  to  buy  a  "white  rag"  to 
put  on  the  table  at  the  Thanksgiving  dinner. 

And  so  our  children  receive  from  work  in  the  kitchen  not 
only  training  in  common  sense,  but  vocational  opportunities 
as  well. 

One  hears  teachers  say,  "The  boys  in  my  class  are 

big  and  self-conscious  and  they  don't  want  to  sing." 

The  same  principle  holds  good  in  music  as 
IV.    Music  .         1  ,  .  ,        .« 

m  other  subjects  —  that  if  we  are  to  succeed 

in  teaching  anything  to  the  defective  child,  we  must  begin 

"where  he  is"  —  and  if  that  place  is  where  he  will  not 

sing,  there  is  the  place  to  start. 

Remembering  that  the  defective  child  falls  down  before 
the  most  trifling  diflficulties,  it  is  probably  too  much  to 
ask  him  to  learn  both  new  words  and  new  tunes  before 
he  is  allowed  to  sing.  Especially  is  this  true  when  he 
really  does  not  want  to  sing  at  all. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  "Is  music  important 
enough  for  us  to  persist  in  trying  to  overcome  these  big 
diflGiculties  when  the  results  will  be  only  the  singing  of 
a  few  rote  songs?"  By  all  means.  The  old  saying  that 
"Music  hath  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast"  seems 
equally  true  for  the  defective.  Music  has  a  wonderful 
disciplining  effect  on  these  children. 

Seguin  divides  sounds  into  three  classes;  viz.,  noises, 
music,  and  speech.  He  says:  "These  three  classes  of 
sounds  speak,  respectively,  the  noises  to  the  wants,  the 
music  to  the  motive  powers,  the  speech  to  the  intellect." 

He  further  says:  "Music  pleases  the  child  without 
hurting  him,  a  few  exceptions  reserved;  it  gives  rest 
from  hard  labor;    it  causes  in   the  immovable  child  a 

[64] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

tremulousness  of  all  its  fibers,  which  is  easily  turned  into 
incipiency  of  action;  it  prepares  the  nervous  apparatus 
in  a  similar  manner,  awakens,  quickens,  and  supports 
the  thoughts  wonderfully;  it  dispels  anger,  weariness, 
melancholy,  and  disposes  to  gentle  feeUng;  it  is  a  moral 
sedative  par  excellence." 

The  first  step  is  to  get  the  children  to  sing  at  all.  Let 
them  suggest  what  they  will  sing.  They  will  do  it,  and 
in  all  probabiUty  they  will  want  to  sing  some  First  step 
street  song  the  words  and  tune  of  which  ^  °^"^*° 
they  have  picked  up  at  a  moving-picture  show.  That 
is  the  place  to  begin!  Have  them  sing  street  songs  until 
they  have  the  habit  of  singing  fixed.  At  the  psychological 
moment  the  teacher  suggests  that  they  try  to  sing  one 
of  the  songs  she  knows,  and  thus  Httle  by  Kttle  begins 
to  substitute  the  better  class  of  songs  for  the  cruder  ones 
of  the  street.  The  songs  chosen  to  take  the  place  of  the 
children's  own  selection  must  be  carefully  picked  out 
for  their  appeal  to  the  children.  Marching  songs  and 
sounds  strongly  syncopated  usually  catch  the  children's 
ear,  and  they  sing  almost  in  spite  of  themselves. 

It  invariably  follows  that  the  children  will  lose  interest 
in  the  street  songs  and  ask  to  sing  only  the  songs  of  the 
school.  A  phonograph  is  a  wonderful  help  in  training 
the  children  to  be  familiar  with  songs  the  teacher  wants 
them  to  know. 

While  the  child  is  learning  to  sing  he  is  learning  to 
enunciate,  and  the  music  lesson  is  a  valuable  exercise 
in  articulation. 

The  superiority  of  the  special  school  over  the  special 
class  for  defectives  shows  nowhere  so  plainly  as  in  the 
work  in  physical  training.     In  physical  train-   y.   Physical 
ing  the  better  graded  the  class  the  better   ^f»^^^& 
the  results.     Even  in  a  special  school  for  defectives  it 

[65] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

is  very  difficult  to  find  fifteen  children  near  enough  in 
intelligence  to  be  able  to  respond  to  the  same  command, 
which  means  that  the  work  will  be  too  difficult  for  some, 
too  easy  for  others,  and  that  only  a  few  will  really  get 
the  work  they  ought  to  get. 

The  complication  of  a  small  mind  governing  a  big 
body  is  nowhere  shown  to  greater  disadvantage  than  in 
the  physical  training.  The  work  must  be  severe  enough 
to  give  a  *'puir'  to  the  muscles  and  still  not  be  too  diffi- 
cult to  be  comprehended  by  mentalities  ranging  from  six 
to  nine  years. 

The  prime  requisite  to  securing  successful  results  from 
the  teaching  of  physical  training  to  the  defective  is  a 
well-trained  teacher.  The  more  training  the  teacher  has 
had  in  physical  training,  the  better  she  will  be  able  to 
train  the  class.  This,  of  course,  is  true  of  any  subject 
and  any  class,  whether  normal  or  abnormal.  One  so 
often  hears  from  teachers  of  defectives  that  the  children 
in  their  classes  cannot  do  this  or  that,  and,  after  all, 
usually  the  lack  of  results  is  due  to  the  lack  of  training 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 

Whenever  possible,  the  physical  training  should  be 
given  in  a  regularly  equipped  gymnasium.  The  defec- 
tive classes  being  small,  an  ordinary  room  fitted  up  as  a 
gymnasium  will  often  answer  the  purpose.  All  the 
fittings  of  a  regular  gymnasium,  such  as  walking  beams, 
stall  bars,  ladders,  ropes  and  rings,  horses,  and  so  on, 
and,  of  course,  Indian  clubs,  dumb-bells,  wands,  basket 
ball  and  nets,  are  necessary  for  effective  work. 

The  physical  training  exercise  should  cover  the  following: 

1.  Response  work  5.  Apparatus 

2.  Imitation  6.  Games 

3.  Rhythm  7.  Dancmg 

4.  MiUtary  tactics  8.  Athletics 
C66] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

The  response  and  imitation  work  may  be  taken  from 
the  regular  course  of  study  in  physical  training  used  in 
the  grades.     The  grade  of  work  must  be  se- 
lected by  the  teacher  to  fit  the  mentaUty   work  adapted 
of  her  particular  defective  class.    The  teacher   *®  mentauty 

,       ,  .  .     1      1        P  1  of  children 

must  constantly  bear  m  mmd  the  fact  that 
defective  children  frequently  have  muscular  development 
equal  to  that  of  the  higher  grammar  grade  and    high 
school  boys. 

In  rhythm  the  same  exercise  taught  for  the  response 
and  imitation  work  may  be  used  with  music  accom- 
paniment. Under  military  tactics  fall  the  marching, 
facing,  wheeling,  and  so  on.  Apparatus  work  falls 
under  two  headings:  light  apparatus,  which  consists 
of  dumb-bell  drills,  Indian  club  drills,  wand  and  hoop 
drills;  and  heavy  apparatus,  which  consists  of  swings, 
ladders,  chinning  bars,  bucks  and  ropes,  and  the  like. 
The  drills  with  light  apparatus  when  accompanied  with 
music  would  fall  also  under  the  heading  of  rhythm. 

All  the  work  in  rhythm  lays  the  foundation  for  the 
dancing.  The  singing  games  likewise  are  rhythm  drills. 
The  games,  however,  vary  all  the  way  from  rhythm 
drills  to  basket  ball  and  indoor  baseball.  Athletics 
grow  out  of  the  heavy  apparatus  work  and  the  more 
strenuous  games.  There  is  no  reason  why  many  of  the 
defective  boys  should  not  compete  in  any  general  field- 
day  sports. 

The  following  are  a  few  sample  lessons  planned  by 
Miss  Kaufman,  teacher  of  physical  training  in  Goes 
Place  Defective  School  in  Newark,  New  Jersey: 

Class:  High-grade  boys  —  One  month's  plan 
First  week: 
Tactics : 

Fours  left  front  into  line 

1167] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

Fours  right  or  left  by  file 

Distinguish  between  line  and  file 
Apparatus : 

Light  —  Clubs 

Heavy  —  Bucks 
Free  exercise: 

Lesson  L    7B  Grade 
Games : 

Volley  ball 

Letting  three  deep 

Second  week: 

Continue  work  of  first  week 

Third  week: 
Lesson  11.    7B  Grade 
Apparatus : 

Heavy  —  Rings 

Ladder  for  chinning  bar 

Fourth  week: 

Continue  work  of  third  week 

Begin  on  athletic  events  for  field  day 

High-grade  girls 

First  week: 
Tactics : 

Marching  in  hollow  square 

Wheeling 

Front  into  line 
Free-hand  work: 

Lesson  I.     6B  Grade 
Dancing : 

Tarentella 

[68] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

Light  apparatus: 
Clubs  —  Head  and  arm 
Circles  —  Right 

Games: 
Comer  ball 
Dumb-bell  pass 

Second  week: 
Continue  first  week's  work 

Third  week: 
Dancing: 

Practice  technique 

Polka,  mazurka,  pas  de  Basque 

Combinations 

Free-hand  work: 
Lesson  11.    6B  Grade 

Games: 
Touch  center  ball 

Fourth  week: 

Light  apparatus: 

Clubs  —  Head  and  arms  circles  with  both  hands 
Games: 

Dodge  ball 

Dance : 

Combination  of  mazurka  steps  in  a  little  dance 

Low-grade  boys 

First  week: 
Tactics: 

Marching  in  quicker  time  and  prompt  obedience 
to  commands,  with  attention  to  square  corners 

[69] 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

Light  apparatus: 

Dumb-bell  drill 
Rhythm : 

Sailor's  hornpipe  —  Second  part 

Second  week: 

Light  apparatus: 

Second  series  —  Dumb-bell  drill 
Games 

Third  week: 
Continue  second  week's  work 
Start  on  athletics 

Free  exercise : 

Lesson  I.     4B  Grade 

Fourth  week: 
Tactics : 

Right  face 

Left  face 

About  face 

Left  flank 

Building  up  from  single  file  to  four 
Free  exercise : 

Lesson  I.     4B  Grade 
Games 

Low-grade  girls 
First  week: 
Rhythm : 

Sliding  exercise  —  Two  steps  slide,  going  forward 

Free  exercise: 
Lesson  I.    4B  Grade 
[70] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION   OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

Light  apparatus : 
Hoop  drill  —  First  series 

Second  week: 
Dance : 

Sailor's  hornpipe 
Free  exercise : 

Same  as  first  week 
Rhythm : 

Mazurka  time 

Third  week: 
Dance : 

Kull  dance 
Free  exercise: 

Lesson  11.     4B  Grade 
Light  apparatus: 

Hoop  drill  —  Second  series 
Games : 

File  races 

Fourth  week: 
Free  exercise: 

Lesson  II  —  Continued 
Light  apparatus: 

Hoop  drill  —  Completed 
Games : 

Singing  game  of  Lassie 

The  tradition  that  the  regular  school   subjects,   with 
emphasis  on  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  should  be 
taught  in  the  schools,  regardless  of  the  fact   vi.   Academic 
of  their  usefulness  or  uselessness  to  the  child,    ^°'^ 
is  so  firmly  grounded,  that  even  now  it  is  with  difficulty 

[71] 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

that  enough  suitable  work  for  the  training  of  defectives 
can  be  introduced  into  the  special  school. 

The  mentality  of  the  highest-grade  child  in  a  defective 
class  is  usually  about  equal  to  that  of  a  nine-year-old 
child.  When  the  mentality  of  the  children  in  the  special 
class  measures  more  than  ten  years,  the  class  is  nearer  a 
backward  class  than  a  defective  class,  and  the  curriculum 
of  such  a  class  would  be  planned  for  the  backward  rather 
than  defective  children.  When  a  defective  class  has 
children  assigned  to  it  whose  mentahty  is  nine  years  or 
less,  and  whose  chronological  age  is  three  years  and  more 
above  their  mental  age,  there  will  be  no  mistake  in  treat- 
ing that  class  as  a  true  defective  class.  This  discussion 
has  to  do  with  the  curriculum  of  such  a  class. 

If  by  any  chance  a  mistake  has  been  made  in  diagnosis 
of  a  child  and  the  child  proves  normal  or  merely  back- 
ward, the  teacher  can  and  should  make  an 

Backward  .         .     ,  .  i      •        i  • 

child  given  exception  m  nis  case  and  give  nim  every  op- 
every  portunity  to  learn  whatever  he  can  in  any 

subject  until  it  be  possible  to  return  him 
to  his  regular  grade. 

With  the  true  defective  in  the  special  class  there  can 
be  no  excuse  for  giving  more  than  a  minimum  of  time  to 
teaching  subjects  which  do  not  develop  the  child  mentally, 
nor  yet  are  of  any  proved  use  to  him  socially.  More- 
over, with  many  a  nervous  child  these  studies  have  a 
definite  tendency  to  increase  the  nervousness  and  have 
been  known  to  cause  insanity.  To  such  a  group  of  sub- 
jects belong  the  regular  school  studies  of  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic. 

A  glance  at  the  charts  on  pages  6  and  7  will  show  that 
a  child  of  nine  years  of  age  should  be  in  the  fourth  grade. 
Theoretically,  at  least,  the  child  of  fourteen  with  the  men- 
tality equal  to  a  nine-year-old  child  should  be  able  to  do 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION   OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

the  work  of  a  fourth-year  grade.  Practically,  that  is  not 
generally  true  of  the  children  selected  for  a  defective  class. 
The  defectives,  if  there  are  any,  who  can  do  the  work  of 
their  mental  age  are  probably  retained  in  the  regular 
grades,  passing  as  dull  children  and  not  being  recognized 
as  true  defectives  until  they  are  ready  to  leave  school. 

The  children  in  the  defective  class  will  be  found  to 
vary  greatly  in  their  ability  to  read  and  write  and  figure. 
One  child  will  do  fairly  well  in  third-year  reading,  but 
will  not  have  any  number  sense  at  all,  and  vice  versa. 
Some  will  have  extraordinarily  fine  memories;  others 
will  not  be  able  to  remember  "lessons"  from  one  day  to 
the  next. 

If,   then,   public  opinion  demands  that   some   school 
time  be  given  these  subjects,  what  shall  we  teach  and  how 
shall  we  teach  it?     Language,  reading,  spell-   j^f^^yy^r  of 
ing,  nature  study,  writing,  and  number  or   academic 
arithmetic    cover    all    that    usually    can    be   ^ughfL 
attempted.     The   children   to   be   taught   in   special  class 
these  subjects  are  understood  to  be  able  to        *^ 
talk  and  express  themselves  after  a  fashion.     Considera- 
tion must  be  given  to  the  fact  that  most  of  them  are  never 
going  to  have  a  higher  mental  level  than  they  now  possess. 
Hence,  even  if  they  have  intelligence  enough  to  begin  a 
subject  like  reading,  it  is  not  worth  while  if  they  are  never 
going  to  be  able  to  read  intelligently. 

The  children  sent  to  the  defective  class  are  taken  from 
the  various  grades  of  the  school  where  they  have  been 
failing  in  their  work  regularly.  However,  some  will  be 
found  who  can  read  and  write  and  do  sums  in  some 
degree. 

There  are  no  special  methods  in  these  subjects  which  have 
become  famous  for  their  great  success  when  used  vnth  de- 
fedives.     If  there  is  a  method  which  the  teacher  feels  that 

[73] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

she  can  use  with  success  with  her  class,  that  is  the  method 
for  her  to  use. 

Of  all  the  school  subjects,  language  is  the  most  im- 
portant to  the  defective.  Definite  training  in  language 
Language  most  wiU  help  him  to  express  himsetf  better,  and 
Important  g^^*]^  training  has  a  direct  bearing  on  helping 

the  child  maintain  himseK  in  the  industrial  world  later. 

The  language  lesson  must  be  planned  to  make  the  child 
think  as  much  as  it  is  possible  for  him  to  think. 

Just  to  illustrate  how  the  teacher  must  get  down  to  the 
child's  level,  and  how  low  that  level  can  be,  and  how 
simple  the  steps  really  are  which  make  the  child  think  a 
great  deal,  let  me  describe  an  oral  and  written  language 
lesson  with  defective  children.  The  group  of  children  to 
which  such  a  lesson  would  be  given  would  be  able  to  read 
and  write  a  little,  and  perhaps  be  very  ungraded  in  their 
abilities  in  these  lines.  For  an  oral  language  lesson  the 
children  told  of  the  various  things  they  had  done  in  the 
kitchen  during  the  previous  period.  They  did  it  some- 
what after  this  fashion: 

"We  went  into  the  kitchen,  and  sat  in  our  places  until 
Miss  B.  told  us  what  to  do.  We  blackened  the  stove. 
A  language  We  cleaned  the  sink.  We  polished  the 
lesson  counter  (zinc).     We  washed  the  dishes  and 

put  them  in  the  closet.  We  washed  out  the  ice  box.  We 
washed  the  dish  towels  and  hung  them  out  to  dry.  The 
bell  rang.  We  sat  in  our  seats.  We  did  good  work  and 
Miss  B.  gave  us  extra  O.K.'s." 

Even  though  this  content  was  more  than  familiar  to 
the  children,  it  was  obviously  impossible  for  them  to 
write  all  of  that  for  a  written  language  lesson  without 
help.  Many  teachers,  thinking  that  the  numerous  errors 
in  written  language  make  that  form  of  work  utterly  use- 
less, have  the  children  copy  the  exercise  from  the  board. 

[74] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

Copying  work  has  no  value  for  the  defective  child.  In  order 
to  have  written  language  for  the  defective  which  will 
make  him  think  and  at  the  same  time  minimize  the  num- 
ber of  errors,  he  must  be  given  just  enough  help  to  enable 
him  to  get  the  most  out  of  the  lesson  and  not  enough  to 
make  him  depend  on  it  altogether.  Therefore,  before 
the  teacher  has  the  children  write  the  above  exercise, 
she  should  write  the  words  on  the  board  as  the  children 
give  them  to  her,  but  not  in  sentence  order;  thus: 


We 

washed 

dish  towels 

did 

cleaned 

dishes 

hung 

good 

the 

and 

them 

work 

sink 

put 

to 

Miss  B 

them 

dry 

gave 

blackened 

us 

stove 

in 

beU 

extra 

closet 

rang 

O.K.'s 

polished 

sat 

counter 

out 

our 

ice  box 

seats 

The  children  will  write  this  exercise  with  the  help  that 
words  on  the  board  furnish  them.  They  are  ungraded, 
and  some  will  be  able  to  write  only  one  sentence;  others 
will  be  able  to  enlarge  on  the  outline  and  write  more. 
Each  child  should  be  allowed  to  do  all  he  can  do. 

The  weakest  child  will  change  the  words  from  the  column 
form  in  the  first  group  of  words  to  the  sentence  form,  and 
behold!  he  has  written  a  sentence  which  he  can  read  and 
understand.  A  little  stronger  child  will  write  the  first 
sentence  easily  and  also  the  second  sentence.  In  the 
second  sentence  he  must  think  first  of  what  he  wants  to 
say,  recognize  the  words  that  are  given,  decide  what 
words  are  omitted,  and  if  he  does  not  know  how  to  spell 

Z752 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

them,  go  back  to  the  first  sentence  to  find  them.  And 
so  on  to  the  strongest  child.  Each  tiny  step  involves 
its  bit  of  thinking.  The  next  day  the  exercise  can  be 
read  from  the  board. 

As  the  children  progress,  the  simple  words  which  they 
know  how  to  spell  need  not  be  written  on  the  board,  but 
only  the  more  diflScult  ones. 

In  criticism  of  this  plan  one  might  say  that  the  children 
who  could  learn  to  spell  would  depend  on  the  blackboard 
for  help  and  so  would  not  gain.  This,  however,  does  not 
work  out  in  fact.  The  children  do  not  take  the  trouble 
to  look  at  the  board  to  see  how  to  spell  the  words  they 
know.    They  look  only  for  the  words  they  do  not  know. 

The  lessons  should  be  carefully  graded  and  carefully 
planned.  The  teacher  should  keep  a  good  record  of  all 
Lessons  *^^  words  givcu  during  the  year.     Such  a 

carcfuUy  lessou  lays  not  only  a  good  foundation  for 

'^^  oral  language,  but  also  a  good  foundation  for 

written  language  and  reading. 

This  lesson  is  described  to  illustrate  not  a  model  lesson 
in  anything  particular,  which  it  is  not,  but  to  show  how 
very  tiny  the  successive  steps  must  be  in  planning  lessons 
for  defectives,  how  props  must  be  provided  at  the  right 
time  and  place  and  taken  away  at  the  psychological 
moment.  The  point  is  that  the  children  must  be  made 
to  think  as  much  as  they  are  able  to  think,  even  if  the 
pace  they  set  is  slower  than  the  proverbial  snail's  pace. 

There  is  no  reading  method  for  defectives  which  has 
been  found  infallible  up  to  this  writing.  Some  teachers 
find  one  method  better  than  another,  but  so 
far  as  can  be  learned  they  do  not  by  any 
means  agree  on  any  special  method  of  teaching  reading 
to  defectives.  The  method  which  the  teacher  finds  to 
give  the  best  results  is  the  one  for  her  to  use.    She  should 

C76] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

study  the  children  and  study  methods  until  she  finds  one 
which  to  her  seems  better  than  the  others. 

No  true  teacher  will  be  content  merely  to  hear  the  children 
read  from  books.  In  fact,  the  teacher  should  not  be  in 
too  great  haste  to  have  the  children  read  from  books  at 
all.  The  best  foundation  for  reading  is  laid  by  having 
much,  very  much,  blackboard  reading  of  carefully  graded 
lessons.  These  lessons  should  be  thoroughly  planned  by 
the  teacher  and  be  within  the  children's  interests  or 
experiences. 

Much  of  the  success  in  teaching  reading  to  defective 
children  —  or  in  the  teaching  of  anything  to  defective 
children,  for  that  matter  —  depends  largely  upon  how 
carefully  each  step  is  graded.  It  is  just  as  important,  in 
teaching  defectives,  whether  it  be  reading  or  manual 
training,  that  the  teacher  lead  from  the  simple  to  the 
complex,  from  the  known  to  the  unknown,  as  it  is  in  the 
teaching  of  normal  children. 

For  some  defectives,  many  of  whom  have  prodigious 
memories,  spelling  is  very  easy;  for  others  it  is  an  im- 
possible achievement.  Between  these  ex- 
tremes lie  all  grades  of  ability.  The  spelling 
work  should,  of  course,  be  based  on  the  language  and 
reading.  It  should  not  overwhelm  all  the  other  work,  but 
should  be  kept  quite  within  bounds. 

Nature  study  should  be  a  live,  wide-awake  subject  in 
every  special  class.     Much  of  the  language  and 

Nftturo  study 

reading  should  center  around  the  nature  work. 

The  subject  matter  in  nature  study  will  depend  upon 
the  season  and  the  locaUty.  There  is  no  city  district, 
however  much  congested,  that  will  not  furnish  some  na- 
ture material.  Every  city  has  its  parks  and  recreation 
centers,  and  it  is  to  these  the  teacher  should  take  the 
children  to  find  for  themselves  the  nature  material. 

C77J 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

The  old  stand-bys  of  frogs'  eggs  gradually  growing 
into  frogs,  cocoons  from  which  burst  the  beautiful  moths, 
the  germination  of  seeds  and  the  making  of  a  garden,  a 
real  guinea  pig,  a  rabbit,  a  dove,  or  a  pigeon,  may  be 
shown  in  the  classroom.  Various  kinds  of  woods  used 
in  the  shop,  the  various  kinds  of  materials  used  in  manual 
training,  the  ingredients  used  in  cooking,  and  so  on  ad 
infinitum,  furnish  the  teacher  with  more  material  for 
nature  study  than  she  can  possibly  use  in  a  year. 

The  oft-told  story  of  the  experiment  in  number  teach- 
ing, which  was  made  at  Vineland  by  a  teacher  who  thought 
he    could    develop    the    minds    of    defective 

Number 

children  by  the  proper  teaching  of  this  sub- 
ject, has  made  many  thinking  teachers  doubt  the  wisdom 
of  having  arithmetic  in  the  curriculum  of  a  special  school 
for  defectives.  This  teacher  had  surprising  success  in 
teaching  his  pupils  to  add  rapidly  long  columns  of  figures 
and  to  do  rapidly  and  accurately  simple  examples  in  the 
other  fundamental  operations.  Ten  years  later  these 
same  children,  now  grown  to  adulthood  and  working  on 
the  farm  and  in  the  household,  were  tested  as  to  their 
knowledge  of  number.  It  was  found  not  only  that  they 
could  not  add  long  columns  of  figures,  either  rapidly  or 
slowly,  but  that  they  knew  not  what  sum  three  and  two 
would  give  unless  it  were  made  concrete.  Furthermore, 
the  problem  needed  to  be  made  concrete  in  terms  which 
they  understood;  for  instance,  three  loaves  of  bread  and 
two  loaves  of  bread  or  three  loads  of  coal  and  two  loads 
of  coal. 

However  discouraging  this  subject  may  be,  the  true 
teacher  will  not  be  content  to  teach  number  by  having 
the  children  "figure"  over  the  same  sums  day  after  day, 
—  as  some  one  has  expressed  it,  "having  the  children  do 
arithmetic  by  the  yard."    She  will  try  to  find  a  way  to 

[78] 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

develop  whatever  number  sense  they  have  —  to  give  them 
an  idea  of  large  and  small,  long  and  short,  wide  and 
narrow,  many  and  few,  and  so  on. 

In  all  their  work  practical  number  has  a  part:  in  the 
shop,  with  its  grading  from  crude  to  accurate  measuring, 
with  its  estimates  of  size  and  quantities;  in  the  kitchen, 
with  the  practical  shopping  with  real  money,  with  the 
practical  measuring  and  estimating  of  quantities;  in  the 
manual  training,  with  its  estimating  and  measuring  of 
various  materials.  It  remains  for  the  teacher  of  academic 
work  to  use  all  the  knowledge  thus  practically  acquired 
and  to  correlate  her  work  with  it  and  supplement  and  add 
to  it  whenever  possible.  Indeed,  the  number  work  may 
all  be  done  in  this  connection  without  a  formal  class  in 
number. 

The  needs  of  the  children  in  the  other  subjects  —  shop, 
kitchen,  and  manual  training  —  give  the  clever  teacher 
the  clew  to  what  she  must  teach  in  the  number  period: 
practical  measuring  and  estimating  of  all  kinds,  with 
liquid  and  dry  measures,  with  inches,  feet,  and  yards.  It 
still  remains  for  some  clever  teacher  to  prove  how  ac- 
curately the  defectives  can  be  taught  to  measure.  Just 
at  present  it  is  uncertain  just  how  far  the  rank  and  file  of 
defectives  can  be  trained  to  accurate  measuring.  How 
much  of  the  work  in  fundamental  operations,  fractions, 
and  decimals  should  be  taught,  each  teacher  will  have  to 
discover  for  herself. 

There  is  no  special  method  of  teaching  writing  to  de- 
fectives that  has  had  proved  success  in  enough  cases  to 
warrant  recommending  it  for  all  special 
classes.  Fortunately  the  special  class  is 
small  enough  so  that  each  child  can  have  his  place  at  the 
blackboard,  where  he  can  do  many  of  his  writing  exercises. 
These  blackboard  exercises  should  be  large  and  varied. 

[79] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

Rhythm,  the  great  friend  of  motor  activity,  should  be 
freely  used  with  the  exercises.  If  interest  lags,  the  ex- 
ercises may  be  used  to  represent  interesting  figures,  as 
in  mass  drawing.  Eskimo  houses  in  winter  and  Santa 
Claus  with  his  pack  can  well  be  represented  with  crayons 
on  the  blackboard.  Many  suitable  designs  which  will 
correlate  with  the  children's  work  in  the  other  subjects 
and  which  will  suit  the  varying  mentaUties  will  occur  to 
the  alert  teacher. 

The  first  exercises  on  paper  may  be  similar  to  the  above 
exercises  and  may  be  done  with  colored  crayons  on  draw- 
ing paper.  Some  of  Dr.  Montessori's  devices  have 
proved  helpful  to  some  children,  especially  those  which 
require  the  placing  of  inserts  of  various  designs  on  paper 
and  filling  in  the  openings  solidly  with  strokes  of  colored 
crayons.  The  crayons  should  be  large.  The  next  more 
diflScult  exercise  is  one  which  requires  the  children  to 
fill  in  designs,  such  as  squares,  circles,  and  octagons,  which 
have  been  drawn  on  paper. 

The  transition  from  such  exercises  to  the  exercises  of 
actual  writing  is  not  simple.  The  teacher  must  try,  by 
persistence,  to  transfer  the  skill  of  the  hand  and  the  con- 
trol of  materials  gained  through  the  free  exercises  to  the 
use  of  the  ordinary  pencil  and  paper  and  the  making  of 
letter  forms. 


C803 


DEPARTMENTAL  DIVISION  OF  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

Depabtmental  Program 


Kitchen 
(Cooking  and 
housework  of 

all  kinds) 


Shop 
(Wood  work) 


Gymnasium 

(Physical 

training  and 

music) 


Academic  work 

(Nature  study 

and  speech 

work) 


Manual  training 

(Basketry, 

brush  making, 

weaving,  and 

sewing; 


FIRST   PERIOD  —  9-9.25 

Milk  served  and  assembly  for  all  classes 


SECOND 

PERIOD  —  9.25-10.05 

Miss  L*s  boys 

Miss  K's  girls 

Miss  H*s  girls 

Miss  S's  boys 

Miss  K's  boys 

THIRD   PERIOD  —  10.15-10.40 

Miss  K's  boys 

Miss  H*s  girls 

Miss  L's  boys 

Miss  K*s  girls 

Miss  S's  boys 

RECESS  — 10.40-10.55 

FOURTH   PERIOD — 10.55-11.35 


Miss  H's  girls  Miss  L's  boys  Miss  S's  boys  Miss  K's  boys  Miss  K's  girls 


NOON 
FIFTH  PERIOD  —  1-1.40 


Miss  S's  boys 


Miss  L's  boys  Miss  K's  girls  Miss  L's  boys 


Miss  H's  girls 


RECESS  — 1.40-1.55 
SIXTH  PERIOD  —  1.55-2.40 


Miss  K's  girls  Miss  S's  boys  Miss  K's  boys  Miss  H's  girls  Miss  L's  boys 


2.40-2.50 
"Good-by"  assembly  for  all  classes 


C813 


CHAPTER  SIX 

Trade  Classes 

OF  what  should  vocational  training  for  the  feeble- 
minded consist?  This  question  has  not  as  yet  been 
answered  satisfactorily  by  any  one.  Much  experimental 
work  along  this  line  has  been  done,  but  there  is  very 
much  more  to  be  done  before  we  can  feel  the  least  bit 
certain  of  the  kind  of  vocational  training  to  give  the 
defective. 

In  the  planning  of  vocational  training  for  defectives 
there  are  some  things  of  which  the  teacher  can  be  practi- 
cally sure.    First,  that  the  feeble-minded  will 

Facts  about  c       .  xxn  m  i 

trades  ucvcr    enter    the    proiessions.     While    there 

defectives  havc   bccu   a  fcw   idiot   savants  who  have 

accomplished  something  in  music  or  drawing, 
still  the  rank  and  file  of  defectives  can  never  be  trained 
to  succeed  in  the  professions.  Secondly,  the  teachers  of 
the  feeble-minded  can  be  certain  that  their  pupils  cannot 
be  trained  to  enter  the  skilled  trades.  While  some  of  the 
feeble-minded  can  be  trained,  under  close  supervision 
and  direction,  to  do  work  that  approaches  the  work  of 
the  skilled  workman,  still  they  fail  utterly  when  set  to 
work  without  direction  and  close  supervision. 

The  work,  then,  left  for  the  feeble-minded  to  do  is  the 
work  connected  with  the  unskilled  and  "bUnd  alley" 
Work  trades.     The  following  is  a  list  of  the  kinds 

defectives  of  work  which  the  feeble-minded  have  done 

have  done         j^  various  communities.  This  list  is  probably 
inpomplete,  but  will  serve  as  a  basis  for  discussion. 

1.  Handy  men  around  a  place 

2.  Dish  washers  in  hotels 

3.  Window  cleaners  for  trolley  or  railroad  companies 

[82] 


TRADE  CLASSES 

4.  Assistant  janitors 

5.  Cleaners  in  bakeries,  butcher  shops,  etc. 

6.  Helpers  for  drivers  on  wagons 

7.  Domestic  servants 

8.  Barbers'  assistants 

9.  Laundry  workers 

10.  Assistants  to  masons 

11.  Assistants  to  carpenters 

12.  Factory  work  which  requires  much  repetition 

13.  Errand  boys  for  tailors 

14.  Cobbling  and  shoe  repairing 

15.  Bootblacks 

16.  Chair  caners 

There  are  many  other  occupations  which  might  be 
mentioned,  but  within  the  experience  of  a  group  of  teachers 
the  activities  listed  above  seemed  to  stand  out  most 
prominently.  It  might  be  argued  that  with  good  train- 
ing the  level  of  work  which  the  defective  could  do  might 
be  raised;  this  may  be  true,  but  the  returns  and  data 
available  are  not  sujBficient  to  make  one  absolutely  certain 
of  it. 

If  we  look  over  the  list  of  occupations  for  defectives, 
what  is  it  that  we  find  the  schools  can  teach   Work  that 
that  will  train  the  children  to  go  into  the   ^e^ipf  cwidren 
unskilled  trades  and  make  a  success?     The   to  get 
work  in  the  kitchen  will  train  them  to  be: 

1.  Dish  washers 

2.  Window  cleaners 

3.  Assistant  janitors 

4.  Domestic  servants 

5.  Laundry  workers 

6.  Cleaners  in  bakeries,  etc. 

7.  Handy  men  around  a  place 

[83] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

8.  Errand  boys  and  girls 

9.  Bakers'  assistants  (cleanliness  being  a  prime  requi- 

site) 

The  work  in  the  shop  will  train  them  to  be: 

1.  Assistants  to  carpenters 

2.  Handy  men  around  a  place 

In  a  "trade"  class  the  defective  can  be  taught,  in 
addition  to  the  occupations  mentioned  above,  cobbling, 
boot  blackening,  chair  caning,  and  concrete 
the  shop  work.     Scwing,  brush  making,  and  box  mak- 

heipschudren  jjjg  g^pg  g^jg^  being  Successfully  taught  in 
schools  for  defectives.  All  the  general  train- 
ing and  discipline  of  the  special  school  is  good  prepara- 
tion for  factory  work. 

An  argument  often  heard  against  special-class  training 
for  defective  children  and  its  consequent  expense  is  that 
^^^^  ^  the  defectives  would  do  that  kind  of  work 

training  the  anyway  and  therefore  nothing  is  gained  by 
defective  their  training.     Any  one  familiar  with  feeble- 

minded incompetents  in  the  industrial  world  knows  full 
well  how  difficult  it  is  for  the  feeble-minded  to  hold  a  job 
for  any  length  of  time,  and  how  poorly  he  does  even  the 
simple  work  assigned  to  him.  That  is  not  success  even 
at  unskilled  work.  The  aim  of  training  the  defective  is 
to  help  him  succeed  in  the  work  he  is  able  to  do,  —  in 
other  words,  to  enable  him  to  get  a  job  at  unskilled  work, 
to  do  the  work  well,  and  to  know  enough  to  keep  it  even 
if  the  work  is  not  altogether  pleasing. 

The  reports  of  cases  of  defective  criminals  show  of  what 
the  untrained  defective  is  capable.  One  boy  killed  his 
employer  because  he  had  asked  him  to  do  "things  he 
didn't  want  to  do."  Another  boy  killed  his  teacher 
because  under  pressure  from  his  parents  she  was  trying 

C84] 


•  TRADE  CLASSES 

to  fit  him  for  college  when  she  should  have  been  training 
him  to  do  unskilled  labor.  These  stories  could  be  multi- 
plied indefinitely. 

All  the  work  in  the  schools  for  defectives  is,  in  the  last 
analysis,  vocational  training.    What  place,  then,  has  the 
trade  class   in  a  school  for  defectives?    K   Trade  class 
all  the  work  in  the  special  school  for  de-   '®'  ^^^ 
fectives  is  a  preparation  for  a  place  in  the  industrial  world, 
what  is  the  purpose  of  the  trade  class? 

The  trade  class  in  the  Newark  special  schools,  where 
the  plan  of  work  as  outlined  in  this  discussion  has  been 
worked  out,  is  a  sort  of  "graduating"  class.  To  this  class 
are  sent  the  boys  who  have  had  the  balanced  training  of 
the  other  two  departments  of  the  school;  viz.,  the  kinder- 
garten and  the  departmental  or  preparatory  classes. 

As  has  been  pointed  out,  in  the  departmental  group  of 
classes  the  boys  have  been  taught  the  different  processes 
underlying  wood  working,  basket  making,  and  other 
manual  work.  Each  step  of  the  work  has  been  graded 
from  the  simple  to  the  complex.  The  boy  in  the  de- 
partmental group  does  not  duplicate  a  perfect  model 
again  and  again.  When  he  makes  one  good  model, 
his  next  work  is  on  a  more  diflficult  problem.  Each 
step  of  the  way  is  carefully  worked  out  to  suit  the 
child's  development. 

When  the  boy  is  sent  to  the  trade  class,  he  has  learned 
to  do  all  the  activities  of  the  school  reason-  Transition  from 
ably  well.    The  year  in  the  trade  class  is  school  to  industry 
presumably    his    last    year    before    leaving  *°*™  ©class 
school;   therefore,  the  transition  from  school  to  industry 
must  be  made  in  the  trade  class. 

In  the  trade  class  every  piece  of  work  should  fulfill  the 
purpose  for  which  it  is  intended.  In  this  class  the  boys 
should  be  able  to  duplicate  any  number  of  models  and  have 

C853 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

them  all  equally  well  done.  In  this  class  the  boys  must 
learn  not  only  to  do  their  work  well,  but  also  to  do  it 
quickly.  No  matter  how  well  a  boy  could  cane  a  chair,  if 
it  took  him  one  or  two  weeks  to  do  it  there  would  be  few, 
if  any,  opportunities  for  him  to  earn  his  living  caning 
chairs. 

The  boys  must  learn  to  work  for  others,  —  for  those 
whom  they  do  not  know  and  probably  never  will  know. 
This  sometimes  takes  long  and  persistent  training  through 
all  the  various  stages:  making  things  for  themselves,  then 
for  those  whom  they  love,  for  those  with  whom  they  are 
associated,  for  home  or  school,  and,  finally,  of  doing  the 
work  for  work's  sake  regardless  of  where  it  may  be  sent 
or  who  may  use  it. 

In  the  trade  class  the  boy  must  learn  to  keep  at  a  piece 
of  work  until  it  is  finished.  If  we  can  teach  stick-to-it- 
ive-ness,  regardless  of  backaches  or  annoyances,  big  or 
little,  we  have  done  much  toward  placing  the  defective 
in  industry  and  keeping  him  there. 

The  subjects  taught  in  the  trade  class  have  been  largely 
determined  by  present  conditions  and  perhaps  even  present 
knowledge.  All  work  in  this  class  is  experimental.  Many 
activities  are,  no  doubt,  taught  for  want  of  knowledge  of 
something  better  to  teach.  The  subjects  in  the  trade 
class  for  boys  are:  wood  work,  rug  making,  chair  caning, 
cobbling,  boot  blackening,  concrete  work,  brush  making, 
box  making. 

While  a  few,  a  very  few,  boys  have  gone  out  from  de- 
fective classes  and  have  worked  at  cabinet  making,  there 
is  no  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  trade-class 
teacher  that  she  can  make  high-class  in- 
dustrial wood  workers  of  the  defective  children,  even 
though  they  do  superior  work  under  her  direction.  Furni- 
ture repairing  of  all  kinds  comes  under  this  head.     That 

[86] 


TRADE  CLASSES 

this  work  is  practical  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  trade 
class  for  boys  can  satisfactorily  repair  furniture  sent  by 
the  educational  department  from  other  schools. 

The  models  made  in  the  trade  class  depend  upon  the 
market,  the  object  being  to  sell  the  work  and  thus  reduce 
the  cost  of  the  class.  Those  which  have  proved  most 
serviceable  and  marketable  thus  far  in  the  trade  class  in 
Newark  have  been  library  tables,  desks,  window  boxes, 
mission  chairs,  individual  tables  for  use  in  special-class 
room,  cutting  tables  for  sewing  room,  cobbler's  benches, 
frames  for  bulletin  boards,  picture  frames,  steamer  chairs, 
taborets,  bookcases,  book  racks,  and  medicine  cases  for 
bathrooms.  This  list  is  incomplete,  but  it  serves  to  il- 
lustrate the  kind  of  work  under  discussion. 

The  Ideal,  the  Little  Dandy,  and  the  John  Lane  looms 
indicate  the  type  that  have  proved  very  satisfactory 
looms  for  successful  rug  making.  The  rugs 
turned  out  should  all  have  commercial  value. 
The  value  should  be  measured  by  experts,  and  the  buyers 
in  the  department  stores  are  usually  most  willing  to  put 
a  value  on  a  given  piece  of  work.  In  a  trade  class  where 
the  teacher  expects  results  of  commercial  value,  the 
value  should  be  estimated  in  a  way  that  is  businesslike, 
not  sentimental,  and  the  estimate  should  be  made  by 
an  impartial,  competent  person,  such  as  a  buyer  would  be. 
The  rugs  made  in  the  various  trade  classes  for  defectives 
have  been  in  great  demand,  and  a  market  for  them  is  very 
easily  found. 

The  defectives  can  be  trained  to  be  excellent  chair 
caners.     There  is  nothing  new  or  original  in 
having  the  boys  brmg  m  chairs,  caning  them 
and  getting  paid  for  it.     It  is  a  very  practical  thing  to 
do  and  has  been  done  with  success  in  many  places. 

Shoe  repairing  has  been  successful  in  many  trade  classes. 


c" 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

It  is  a  most  practical  trade,  for  even  if  the  children  do  not 
^    ^  go  definitely  into  the  trade,  later  they  may  be 

Col>Dliii£[  ,  • 

able  to  do  their  own  shoe  repairing  and  thus 
conserve  a  limited  income.  However,  there  is  no  reason 
why  the  trade,  of  cobbling  should  not  prove  a  very  good 
one  for  defective  children,  especially  in  this  day  of  or- 
ganized industry  where  the  defective  can  work  under  a 
superior  workman. 

The  teacher  should  be  well  trained  in  the  art  of  cobbling 
before  she  attempts  this  work  with  defectives.  As  in  all 
work,  the  well- trained  teacher  gets  the  best  results. 

With  good  boss  workmen  to  direct  them  the  defective 

boys    can    usually    make    excellent    bootblacks.    There 

should  be  a  boot-blackening  outfit  in  every 

trade  class,  and  the  boys  should  be  taught  to 

do  the  work  well. 

The  fad  for  concrete  window  boxes,  flower  pots,  and 
garden  ornaments  has  made  a  market  for  the  concrete 
produced  by  the  boys  in  the  trade  classes  for 
defectives.     This  work  seems  to  be  very  prac- 
tical, both  because  of  the  good  commercial  results  obtained 
and  also  because  of  the  small  cost  of  the  materials. 

Brush  making  has  been  well  established  as  an  activity 
for  the  children  in  the  special  classes.  It  has  been  proved 
beyond  a  doubt  that  the  brushes  made  by 
the  defectives  have  commercial  value.  De- 
partment stores  have  offered  to  buy  them,  and  other  ready 
markets  have  been  found  for  them.  The  supply  depart- 
ment of  the  board  of  education  is  willing  and  glad  to  send 
them  to  the  shops  and  kitchens  in  the  public  schools  and 
give  the  special-class  department  credit  in  the  annual 
budget. 

While  various  kinds  of  brushes  should  be  made  in  the 
departmental  class  of  brush  making,  in  the  trade  class 

[88] 


TRADE  CLASSES 

the  models  which  find  a  ready  market  should  be  the  only 
ones  made. 

Many  industrial  localities  have  box  factories.    There- 
fore, box  making  as  an  activity  in  the  trade 
class  is  apparently  a  practical  one.     Special 
localities  have  other  special  trades  for  which  the  boys  in 
the  special  classes  may  be  trained. 

There  are  many  other  subjects  which  might  be  taught 
in  the  trade  class  for  defective  boys,  but  it  seems  best  that 
too  many  should  not  be  carried  on  at  one  time.  Rather, 
the  subjects  mentioned  should  be  supplanted,  as  trades 
more  suitable  to  the  defective  come  to  the  attention  of 
the  teachers.  There  is  grave  doubt  that  the  best  work 
for  the  mentally  handicapped  has  yet  been  found.  More, 
and  yet  more,  careful  investigation  must  be  undertaken 
before  there  is  any  certainty  of  being  on  the  right  track. 
The  above  suggestions  are  intended  only  to  meet  a  present 
need.  This  much,  and  this  much  only,  can  be  said  of  the 
kind  of  work  taught  now  to  defectives.  That  more  in- 
spiration and  Hght  will  descend  upon  those  working  out 
trade  education  for  defectives  is  devoutly  hoped. 

There  is  quite  as  much  uncertainty  about  the  kind  of 
work  to  teach  the  defective  girls  in  a  trade   ^^^^^  ^^ 
class  as  there  is  about  the  kind  of  work  to   for  giris 
teach  the  defective  boys. 

The  present  work  in  the  trade  classes  for  defective  girls 
is  an  outgrowth  of  the  manual-training  activities  already 
approved  for  children  in  the  special  classes.  It  may  be 
that  more  practical  and  useful  activities  will  be  found, 
but  at  this  time  "the  next  best  thing"  is  being  done,  while 
every  one  interested  in  industrial  work  for  defectives  is 
keeping  a  close  watch  for  better  opportunities  for  the 
mentally  lacking  and  for  the  means  of  training  them  to 
grasp  such  opportunities.     The  subjects  which  now  seem 

[89] 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

best  to  teach  in  the  trade  class  for  defective  girls  are: 
household  science,  sewing,  knitting  and  crocheting, 
millinery,  rug  making,  box  making. 

It  has  been  said  that  many  of  the  servants  in  house- 
holds are  mentally  inferior,  and  furthermore  it  has  been 
Household  found  that  some  of  the  defectives  make  ex- 
science  ccUcnt  Servants.     If  this  be  true,  the  class 

for  defective  girls  may  be  a  great  opportunity  for  such 
training. 

The  teachers  of  household  science  to  these  girls  have 
commented  on  the  diflSculty  they  have  had  to  give  them 
what  they  think  is  only  fair  and  mediocre  training.  Upon 
investigating  the  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  report 
of  housekeepers  and  of  teachers  of  defective  girls,  it  be- 
came evident  that  the  girls  assigned  to  the  defective  classes 
in  the  public  schools  were  of  a  much  lower  mentality  than 
the  servants  whose  efficiency  was  commented  on  by  their 
employers.  The  feeble-minded  girls  who  later  become 
good  servants  are  classed  in  school  as  either  backward  or 
dull  and  drop  out  of  school  before  they  are  recognized  as 
truly  feeble-minded.  Perhaps  in  the  future  the  truly 
trainable  defective  girl  will  be  placed  in  the  trade  classes, 
but  for  the  present  the  defective  schools  must  do  the  best 
they  can  with  the  material  sent  to  them.  That  so  much 
is  done  with  the  poorest  group  of  defectives  speaks  well 
for  the  excellent  training  given  them. 

In  the  trade  class  the  girls  should  be  taught  all  the 
branches  of  housework,  —  laundry  work;  cleaning  of  all 
kinds,  such  as  window  cleaning,  cleaning  out  of  closets, 
cleaning  stoves,  and  scrubbing;  and  cooking,  —  carried  to 
the  highest  degree  of  which  they  are  capable.  The  cook- 
ing should,  of  course,  be  as  practical  as  possible.  Much  of 
it  should  be  in  connection  with  the  preparation  of  real 
meals.     An  expert  is  needed  for  this  work,  —  one  who  is 

C90] 


TRADE  CLASSES 

satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  hospital  cleanliness  in  all 
branches  of  the  work. 

Sewing  has  proved  itself  a  very  practical  subject  in  the 
trade  class  for  defective  girls.    The  girls  have 
gone  out  to  shirtwaist  factories,  button  fac- 
tories, and  so  on,  and  have  been  able  to  earn  their  small 
quota  toward  the  family  income. 

The  models  made  should  be  useful  and  practical.  Every 
problem  made  by  the  girls  in  the  trade  class  should  serve 
well  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intended,  whether  it  be 
for  sale  or  for  personal  use.  The  models  should  include 
all  practical  problems,  from  the  simplest  underwear  to 
dresses  and  shirtwaists,  from  hemstitching  towels  to 
embroidery. 

Ejiitting  and  crocheting  have  proved  most  useful  to 
many  defective  girls.  It  is  well  to  study  the  market  in 
the  locaHty  and  leam  which  problems  are  the  Knitting  and 
most  in  demand  and  which  would,  therefore,  c'ociieting 
have  the  greatest  sale.  The  defective  girls  will  often  knit 
and  crochet  during  idle  moments,  and  in  that  way  are 
kept  from  associating  with  doubtful  persons  and  getting 
into  mischief. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  knitting  and  crocheting  are  a 
panacea  for  immorahty  and  mischief  for  defective  girls; 
but  if  perhaps  one,  now  and  then,  keeps  herself  busy  and 
interested  in  her  simple  manual  occupation,  something, 
however  little,  has  been  accomplished. 

Some  classes  have  done  much  with  hat  making  among 
defective  girls.     It  is  quite  well  worth  the 

,  .  .  Millinery 

trial,  if  in  the  end  the  girls  can  only  fashion 

their  own  hats,  which,  after  all,  means  much  to  any  one 

with  a  Umited  income. 

Rug  making  and  box  making  may  be  taught  girls  as  well 
as  boys.    The  girls  also  go  into  the  factories,  and  they 

C91] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

need  instruction  in  these  branches.  No  mention  has  been 
Rug  making  niadc  of  academic  work  in  connection  with 
and  box  the  trade   classes.     If  it  seems  feasible  and 

making  practical,  some    instruction    along   this   line 

should  be  given.  Before  they  get  to  these  classes  the 
children  have  been  trained  or  taught  as  much  as  it  is 
probable  they  can  learn,  but  if  it  seems  best,  some  aca- 
demic work,  closely  correlated  with  industrial  work,  may 
be  given. 


1192  3 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 

The  Place  of  the  Special  School  for  Defectives  in 
THE  Public  School  System  and  in  the  Community 

rXlHE  special  school  for  defectives  has  not  by  any  means 
-L  been  completely  accepted  or  recognized  as  a  vitally 
needed  part  of  every  school  system.  It  is  therefore  , 
necessary  for  the  teachers  in  the  special  schools  in  eyery 
legitimate  way  to  attract  the  attention  of  their  associates 
in  the  public  schools  and  of  the  people  in  the  community 
to  the  high-class  scientific  work  done  in  the  schools  for 
defectives.  There  are  many  ways  of  thus  attracting 
favorable  attention,  such  as  exhibits,  mothers'  meetings, 
entertainments,  and  home  visits. 

Entertainments  play  a  part  in  the  curriculum  of  a 
defective  school  as  well  as  of  a  regular  graded  school. 
They  furnish  not  merely  a  source  of  pleasure, 

,*^,  «..  iTP.  Entertainments 

but  also  a  means  oi  training  the  defective 
child.  Sometimes  the  entertainment  is  a  simple  "party," 
with  its  games  and  refreshments,  as  a  Hallowe'en  party, 
and  sometimes  it  is  but  little  more  than  a  dramatization 
of  some  story,  as  at  Thanksgiving  time.  Even  in  the 
simple  dramatization  of  a  story  the  children  should  have 
attractive  costumes.  To  a  good  teacher  nothing  is  too 
much  trouble  if  it  helps  to  make  even  the  simple  drama- 
tization a  complete  success. 

The  biggest  event  of  the  year  should  be,  perhaps,  the 
Christmas  play.  The  most  successful  of  these  are  the 
"musical  shows,"  as  the  boys  call  them.  A  "Santa 
Claus"  cantata,  which  has  lively  songs  and  plenty  of 
action,  is  likely  to  be  the  most  successful,  and  even  that 
may  have  to  be  revised  and  adapted  to  the  ability  of  the 
children  by  the  clever  teacher. 

The  success  of  the  play  will  depend  much  on  the  planning 

[93] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

and  organization  which  precede  it.  In  most  special  school 
the  month  of  December  is  all  the  time  that  can  possibb 
be  spared  for  the  preparation  of  the  play,  and  even  the] 
it  is  important  that  the  school  program  be  broken  up  a. 
little  as  possible.  Yet  the  children  are  not  able  to  do  mucl 
rehearsing  after  school  or  are  not  capable  of  doing  it.  Al 
this  makes  the  Christmas  play  seem  very  difficult  of  ac 
complishment,  and  so  it  is;  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  entirely 
possible. 

In  November  the  smallest  details  for  the  play  must  b< 
planned.  Each  teacher  in  the  school  should  know  jusi 
what  she  is  to  do  and  how  she  is  to  do  it.  Every  costume 
must  be  planned  and  every  part  assigned  in  organization 
On  the  first  day  of  December  the  work  begins.  The  music 
period  is  devoted  in  part  to  the  teaching  of  the  songs. 
Every  child  must  learn  them,  for  the  best  play  will  have 
as  nearly  one  hundred  per  cent  of  the  pupils  as  possible 
taking  part  in  the  play. 

The  academic-work  period  will  be  given  in  part  to 
teaching  the  words  of  the  play.  The  physical-training 
period  will  be  devoted  to  the  drills  and  dances.  The 
sewing  classes  will  begin  the  work  on  the  costumes,  and 
the  wood-work  classes  will  make  any  necessary  apparatus. 
Thus  each  activity  of  the  school  will  be  turned  to  account 
on  the  play  in  which  the  whole  school  is  interested.  The 
morning  assembly  will  be  used  in  part  for  the  rehearsing 
together. 

There  will  be  very  little  change  in  program  except 
during  the  last  week  before  the  play  is  given,  when  more 
rehearsals  will  perhaps  be  needed. 

There  is  much  work  connected  with  such  an  enterprise, 
but  it  is  more  than  justified  by  the  appreciation  of  the 
parents,  —  who  have  seldom,  if  ever,  seen  their  unfortu- 
nate child  take  part  in  anything, —by  the  pleasure  it 
[94] 


PLACE  OF  THE  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

gives  the  children  to  be  "in"  something,  by  the  develop- 
ment gained  by  the  children  in  the  training  for  the  play, 
and,  last,  but  not  least,  by  the  prestige  gained  by  the  school 
in  the  eyes  of  the  community. 

By  no  means  least  important  among  the  duties  of  the 
special-class  teacher  are  the  visits  to  the  homes  of  her 
pupils.    While  it  is  desirable  that  the  parents 

.  V        ,  ,        1       .  .  Ill      Home  visits 

Visit   the   school,    interviews   at   the   school 

building  under  no  circumstances  take  the  place  of  home 

visits. 

In  order  to  teach  a  child  how  to  live  better,  it  is  very 
necessary  for  the  teacher  to  find  out  the  exact  conditions 
under  which  the  children  are  trying  to  live.  The  de- 
fective children  are  frequently  misunderstood  to  as  great 
a  degree  in  the  families  of  the  more  well-to-do  as  they  are 
in  the  poorer  families.  In  order  to  do  the  most  for  a 
given  child,  it  is  often  necessary  to  try  to  alter  bad  home 
conditions  as  well  as  to  train  him  in  school  to  fit  him  to 
live  in  his  home  environment. 

The  teacher  will  not  use  the  time  of  the  home  visit  to 
tell  the  mother  how  troublesome  the  child  has  been  in 
school,  because  the  chances  are  that  if  the  child  be  trouble- 
some at  school,  he  is  far  worse  at  home.  The  teacher 
will  use  the  time  to  find  out  just  how  the  child  spends  his 
time  out  of  school  hours.  She  will  want  to  know  the  kind 
of  work  the  child  does  well  at  home,  and  the  kind  he  does 
poorly,  so  that  she  will  know  just  what  to  teach  him  and 
just  how  to  teach  him  and  just  what  to  emphasize  in 
school.  The  home  visit  should  give  the  teacher  concrete 
data  to  use  in  teaching  each  particular  child,  because 
the  special-class  teacher  works  with  individuals,  not 
classes.  She  can  say  to  the  child,  "When  you  go  home 
you  must  do  thus  and  so  for  baby  Tony,  and  thus  and  so 
for  your  mother." 

[95] 


EDUCATION   OF  DEFECTIVES 

One  little  girl  who  had  been  taught  in  this  way  became 
very  ill  with  pneumonia.  She  was  conscious  until  she 
died,  and  knowing  she  was  going  to  die,  she  said  to  her 
older  sister,  "Now  you  must  do  all  the  things  for  the  baby 
and  mother  that  Miss  G.  showed  me  how  to  do."  She 
felt  her  responsibility,  in  her  tiny  way,  to  the  end. 

To  find  out  just  how  the  children  spent  their  time  after 
school  an  investigation  was  made  of  every  child  in  a 
Reports  on  number  of  special  classes.  The  following 
chUdren  reports    on    these    children    are    thoroughly 

typical  of  all  the  children  in  the  defective  classes  except 
the  lowest  grade : 

1.  Carmine  O.    Helps  mother  do  housework.    When  not 

thus  engaged  goes  to  Italian  school. 

2.  Larry  F.     Goes  for  wood.     The  department  stores 

throw  away  broken  boxes  which  he  takes  home  to 
his  mother  for  firewood. 

3.  AngeloS.   Helps  mother  do  housework.    The  teacher's 

report  reads:  "I  found  Angelo  sweeping  the  house 
and  making  the  beds  at  4.30,  when  I  called.  His 
mother  said  he  did  that  every  day,  but  that  was 
all;  after  that  he  went  out  to  play.  She  did  not 
think  he  was  able  to  work  for  any  one  else." 

4.  Ralph   O.    Helps   a   man   unpack   groceries   every 

afternoon. 

5.  Joe  J.    Helps  mother.    Does  it  very  poorly. 

6.  Gabrielle   M.    Works  for  tailor.    Teacher's  report 

reads :  "  Mother  very  feeble-minded.  She  does  not 
understand  child.  Works  for  a  tailor,  but  the 
tailor  keeps  him  only  because  he  is  a  friend  of  the 
father,  who  is  serving  time  for  killing  a  man." 

7.  Stanley  P.    Not  able  to  do  anything  at  home.    Good 

home.    Is  well  cared  for. 

0963 


PLACE  OF  THE   SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

8.  Louis  L.     Teacher's  report  reads:   "Mother  is  very 

ill.  Louis  does  most  of  the  housework  and  cares 
for  mother.  Mother  is  either  feeble-minded  or 
else  dull  because  of  illness.  If  he  would  go  directly 
home  would  be  of  help  to  mother,  but  he  has  been 
in  the  habit  of  staying  on  the  streets.  I  think  his 
chief  trouble  has  been  the  bad  habits  formed  dur- 
ing months  of  truancy,  when  he  has  been  on  the 
streets,  before  he  was  assigned  to  a  special  class." 
Note.  Since  the  boy  has  been  in  a  special  class 
he  is  doing  better  and  is  now  working  for  a  tailor 
and  helping  his  mother  at  odd  times. 

9.  James  F.     Helps  mother  do  housework.     Gets  clothes 

for  his  mother,  who  does  laundry  work. 

10.  Henry  S.     Does  errands.     Shines  shoes  for  father. 

11.  Sammy    A.    Helps     mother.     Goes    on    peddler's 

wagon. 

12.  Tony  N.     Can  do  nothing  at  home. 

13.  Pasquelle  Z.     Helps  mother  do  housework.     Father 

and   mother  both   ill.     He    is    needed    to    earn 
money. 

14.  Harry  C.    Helps  in  father's  store  after  school  and  on 

Saturdays. 

15.  Nicholas  M.     Sells  bananas  from  wagon. 

16.  Joe  R.     Goes  for  wood  which  he  gives  to  mother. 

17.  Niel  I.    Works  in  fish  store  on  Fridays.     No  work 

on  other  days. 

18.  William  K.    Helps  at  home.     Mother  ill. 

19.  Henry  R.     Helps  at  home.     Mother  ill. 

20.  Albert  La  P.     Plays  after  school.    Well  looked  after 

by  mother. 

21.  James  F.     Delivers  goods  for  grocer  until  6.30. 

22.  Dominic  G.     Helps  mother  do  housework. 

23.  Daniel  O.     Cadd^  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays. 

[97] 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

24.  Robert  M.     Goes  home  and  takes  care  of  house  after 

school.     Mother  away  working. 

25.  George  T.    Worked  in  a  baker's  shop.     Gave  it  up 

because  he  said  man  cheated  him  out  of  money. 
Helps  mother  with  housework.  Feeble-minded 
family.    Boy  of  no  use  anywhere. 

26.  William  G.    Helps  mother  do  housework. 

27.  Norman  K.     Helps  mother  do  housework.     Mother 

away  working.     Very  irresponsible  boy. 

28.  Alphonse  S.     Helps    mother   with   housework    and 

takes  care  of  babies. 

These  are  only  a  few  cases,  to  be  sure.  The  report  of 
each  child  in  the  whole  school  reads  much  the  same,  with 
the  exception  mentioned,  of  the  lowest  grade  of  children. 

The  teacher's  visits  to  the  home  enable  the  school  to 
have  a  degree  of  supervision  over  the  children  outside  of 
school  hours.  Although  the  teacher  has  no 
of  homes  official  authority  over  the  children  out  of 

through  home  school  hours,  Still,  who  can  say  that  the  in- 
fluence of  such  visits  does  not  oftentimes  equal 
actual  authority? 

This  "influence,"  though  so  difficult  to  measure,  must 
show  the  state  authorities  the  necessity  of  such  super- 
vision by  state-appointed  visitors,  of  all  defective  children 
after  they  leave  school  and  are  in  the  industrial  world. 

The  discipUne  of  the  schools  for  defectives  is  often  a 

very  satisfactory  means  of  attracting  favorable  attention 

to   the   schools.     When   children  who   have 

^^^    ^  failed   utterly    in   behavior   in   every    other 

school  are  assigned  to  the  defective  school  and  become 
more  tractable,  the  impression  created  is  a  very  favorable 
one.  With  defective  children  discipline  should  be  looked 
upon  as  a  teaching  process.    The  method  of  teaching  in 

[98] 


PLACE  OF  THE  SPECIAL  SCHOOL 

discipline  should  begin  with  the  simple  and  lead  to  the 
complex,  should  begin  with  the  known  and  lead  to  the 
unknown,  as  in  other  subjects. 

There  is  no  course  of  study  to  show  the  teacher  what  is 
"known"  in  discipline.  She  must  find  that  out  for  her- 
self. In  many  cases  the  life  of  the  ghetto  is  the  "known" 
to  the  defective  children.  They  know  the  roughest  kind 
of  talk.  They  defend  themselves  from  their  brothers  and 
sisters  and  companions,  and  even  from  their  fathers  and 
mothers,  by  fighting.  It  is  enlightening  to  watch  the 
children  and  even  the  adults  of  the  slums  at  play.  They 
often  amuse  themselves  by  banging  each  other  on  the 
back,  by  tripping  each  other,  and  in  various  other  not 
very  gentle  ways.  It  is  their  idea  of  fun.  With  such 
standards  and  ideals  set  for  them,  it  is  too  much  to  expect 
the  children  with  low  mentality  to  come  to  school  and  at 
once  act  in  accordance  with  the  teacher's  ideals  and 
standards. 

The  teacher  must  begin  "where  the  child  is  "and  show^ 
him  how  to  act.  The  methods  to  be  used  will  depend  on 
the  child  and  will  range  all  the  way  up  the  scale  from 
merely  diverting  his  attention  and  giving  no  heed  to  what 
he  has  done,  to  a  sort  of  reasoning  with  the  high-grade 
child.  Kindness  and  firmness  should  be  used  with  all 
children. 

All  the  work  of  the  school,  including  discipline,  should 
teach  the  child  how  to  live  better.  Dr.  Gesell  says, 
"Moral  power  must  grow  as  mental  power  does,  with  the 
opportunity  to  use  it.  The  gospel  of  good  discipline  lies  in 
first  making  the  child  willing  to  do  the  right  thing.  The 
teacher's  will,  however  strong,  cannot  control  the  child's 
conduct;  he  must  do  that  for  himself,  and  he  will  do  it 
if  he  is  permitted  to  see  that  good  conduct  is  a  personal 
possession  that  works  to  his  own  advantage.    Children's 

[99: 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

standards  are  not  altruistic;  they  are  guided  by  conse- 
quences, and  legitimate  punishment  should  deal  with 
such  personal  and  practical  consequences." 
^  Punishment  should  fit  the  child  and  not  the  crime.  The 
teacher,  therefore,  must  understand  the  child  and  must 
be  sure  that  he  "knows  better"  before  she  insists  that  he 
does  better.  A  teacher  would  not  punish  a  lame  child 
for  Umping,  nor  a  bhnd  child  for  not  seeing;  neither  should 
she  punish  a  feeble-minded  child  for  acting  foolishly.  The 
teacher  must  recognize  the  fact  that  difiPerent  children  will 
progress  at  different  rates  in  behavior  as  they  progress 
at  different  rates  in  their  studies. 

To  quote  Dr.  Gesell  again,  "The  child's  standards  of 
right  and  wrong  are  not  formed  tomorrow,  but  yesterday 
and  today,  out  of  the  joys,  sorrows,  duties,  sacrifices,  and 
companionships  of  daily  Hving.  Social  contact  builds  up 
a  sense  of  honor  and  a  legitimate  pride  which  all  the  formal 
ethics  in  the  world  cannot  instill." 


[100] 


CHAPTER  ElGl^l  ;    ,  y  ; 

CONCLTOiON>\   I      ily'\]l*>}  K;  ; /'\ 

rllS  discussion  has  treated  of  the  education  of  the  true 
defective,  not  of  the  backward  or  of  the  borderhne 
case.  It  has  been  contended  that  the  borderhne  and 
backward  cases  are  the  only  ones  to  whom  it  is  worth 
while  to  give  the  special  education.  This  is  doubtfully 
true.  However,  every  school  system  has  a  large  numb^it/ 
of  true  defectives  attending  the  regular  schools.  Most 
authorities  say  that  two  per  cent  of  the  school  population 
is  feeble-minded.  These  children  must  be  taken  care  of.  ' 
Each  and  every  true  defective  cannot  be  expelled  from 
school  and  left  to  roam  the  streets.  No  doubt  some  would 
be  sent  to  institutions  because  of  such  a  ruling,  but  there 
would  be  but  a  very  few  which  would  be  gotten  out  of 
the  community  so  readily.  Whatever  the  opinion  about 
keeping  these  children  in  the  pubHc  schools,  it  is  true  that 
they  are  there  and  must  remain  there  for  a  long  time  to 
come,  the  length  of  time  depending  upon  how  long  it  will 
take  public  opinion  to  recognize  the  true  defective  and 
upon  how  long  it  will  take  public  opinion  to  build  institu- 
tions for  their  permanent  care. 

As  long  as  the  true  defective  is  in  the  pubHc  schools, 
so  long  will  he  be  a  problem  to  be  dealt  with.  The  best 
way  found,  so  far,  is  to  segregate  the  defective  in  special 
classes  or  schools  and  train  him  how  to  live  better. 

In  connection  with  every  special-class  organization  there 
should  be  classes  for  borderline  cases.  The  cases  for 
these  classes  should  be  as  carefully  tested  and  classified 
as  are  the  cases  in  the  classes  for  true  defectives. 

The  dull  normal  children  should  Hkewise  be  carefully 
assigned  to  classes  for  special  instruction. 

Not  until  all  children  who  deviate  from  the  normal  are 

cioi: 


EDUCATION  OF  DEFECTIVES 

so  exiaanined  and -classified,  and  are  taught  according  to 
tli^i]?  .ahility  .to  take  ii;istruction,  will  the  public-school 
systeiaa  bfe'doiiig,ife;'?S^hole  duty  to  all  the  children  en- 
rolled in  the  schools. 

The  defective,  the  borderline,  the  backward,  and  the 
psychopathic  children  either  should  be  in  classes  organ- 
ized under  one  department  of  a  school  system,  or,  if 
separated,  should  be  organized  in  two  well-coordinated 
departments. 


[102] 


INDEX 


Academic  subjects,  73 
Apparatus,  39,  40 
Articulation  exercises,  33,  65 

Backward  child,  72 
Basketry,  54 
Baths,  20 

Boot  blackening,  72 
Borderline  cases,  101 
Box  making,  89 
Brush  making,  58 
Burrow,  Clara,  61 

Chair  caning,  57,  87 

Charts,  for  normal  child,  6;    for 

defective  child,  7 
Classifications,   Goddard,   14,    15, 

16,  17;  Tredgold,  14,  15,  16,  17 
Cobbling,  88 
Commission,  English,  11 
Concrete  work,  88 
Copying,  75 
Curriculum,  11,  12,  18 

Defective,  in  home,  1;  in  school, 
2;  in  court,  2;  in  graded  school, 
10;  in  special  school,  10 

Departmental,  13,  14 

DiscipHne,  98,  99 

Dramatization,  31,  41 

Dull  normal,  101 

Entertainments,  93,  94 

Exercises  of  practical  life,  21,  22; 
ear  training,  31;  lip,  32;  articu- 
lation, 33 

Experiments,  in  Germany,  3;  in 
England,  3;  in  America,  3 

Experts,  12 


Games,  40 
Gesell,  22,  25.  105 
Goddard,  11, 12 

Hand  work,  58 
Hilfsschvlen,  3,  12 
Home  visits,  45 
Home,  38,  40 
Household  science,  90 

Industrial  arts,  53 
Industrial  training,  12 

Johnstone,  Superintendent,  23 

Kaufman,  Molly,  67 
Kindergarten,  13,  37,  38 
Kitchen,  59,  60 
Knitting,  91 

Language,  41,  74,  75,  76 
Looms,  55 

Manual  training,  12,  34,  35,  37 
Mentality  of  defectives,  4 
Millinery,  91 
Montessori,  25,  80 
Music,  30,  41,  64,  65 

Nature,  77 
Number,  78,  79 

Organization  of  special  schools,  13 

Parents,  8,  9,  18,  19 
Personal  cleanliness,  18,  19,  20 
Physical  defects,  6 
Physical  training,  38,  39,  66,  67, 
68,  69,  70,  71 

[103] 


INDEX 


Plans,  for  early  training,  3,  4;  for 
selection  of  children,  5,  6 

Play,  40 

Principal,  13 

Program,  kindergarten,  42;  de- 
partmental, 81 


Reading,  76,  77 
Reports  on  children. 
Rug  weaving,  55,  92 


97,  98 


Scissors,  use  of,  37 
Scripture,  31 
Seguin,  25,  31,  33 
Selection  of  children,  5,  6 
Sense  of  touch,  25,  26;   smell,  26; 
taste,  26;  sight,  27;  hearing,  27 
Sense  training,  23,  24 


Sewing,  55,  56,  57,  91 
Shop,  44,  84 
Shuttleworth,  3,  4 
Special  instruction,  4 
Special  school,  13 
Speech  training,  28-30 
Spelling,  77 

Trade  classes,  82,  83,  84,  85,  89 
Tredgold,  11 

Types  of  work,  14,  15,  16,  17,  51, 
52,  53 

Vocational  training,  13,  82 

Weaving,  36,  53 
Writing,  79 


[104] 


SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY  SERIES 

SCHOOL  TRAINING  of 
DEFECTIVE  CHILDREN 

By  Henry  H.  Goddard 

Training  School,  Vinela/nd,  New  Jersey 

THE  problem  of  caring  for  mentally  defective 
children  is  now  meeting  with  more  general 
recognition  since  Dr.  Goddard  and  other  psychol- 
ogists have  estimated  that  at  least  two  per  cent  of 
school  children  are  below  normal.  That  the  pres- 
ence of  such  children  in  classes  for  normal  children 
seriously  handicaps  both  teachers  and  pupils ;  that  the 
means  of  discovering  defective  children  are  at  present 
inadequate;  that  the  care  and  training  of  such 
children  is  not,  in  most  cases,  properly  understood; 
and  finally,  that  the  danger,  both  to  themselves  and 
to  society  in  general,  of  allowing  them  to  grow  up 
at  large  is  very  great; — ^these  are  facts  which  the 
educational  world  is  called  upon  to  face  and  to  deal 
with.  For,  whether  the  problem  be  rightfully  a 
medical  or  an  educational  one,  the  public  school 
system  at  present  is  charged  with  caring  for  defec- 
tive children. 

In  School  Training  of  Defective  Childrenj  Dr. 
Goddard  considers  the  way  in  which  the  schools  are 
carrying  this  responsibility  and  offers  suggestions  for 
future  procedure.  „„„„„„™ 

Cloth.    Illustrated,    xxii-\-9%  pages. 


WORLD  BOOK  COMPANY 

Yon  KERS-oN -Hudson,  New  York 
2126   Prairie  Avenue,   Chicago 


iiMiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiimiiiiis 


PLAY  SCHOOL  SERIES 
Edited  by  Clark   W.  Hetherington 

Educating  by  Story-Telling 

SHOWING  THE  VALUE  OF  STORY-TELLING  AS  AN  EDUCA- 
TIONAL TOOL   FOR  THE   USE   OF   ALL  WORKERS  WITH   CHILDREN 

By  Katherine  Dunlap  Gather 

1ATELY  an  understanding  has  been  growing  of  the 
-'  usefulness  of  the  story  as  a  tool  for  imparting  infor- 
mation, for  leading  to  an  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in 
literature  and  art,  and  for  establishing  higher  standards 
of  thought  and  actions  besides  being  a  means  of  enter- 
tainment. 

In  this  book  the  various  story  interests  of  children  are 
analyzed  and  classified,  the  construction  of  stories  suit- 
able to  be  told  to  children  is  explained.  The  principles 
of  story-telling  are  discussed  and  helpful  suggestions  on 
the  manner  of  telling  are  given. 

Finally  there  is  a  discussion  of  types  of  stories  that  lead 
to  appreciation  of  music  and  art,  and  that  supplement 
history,  geography,  nature  study,  and  manual  training 
lessons.  The  teaching  of  ethics  through  story-telling  i 
is  discussed  and  attention  is  directed  also  to  the  use  of  | 
story-telling  as  a  basis  for  dramatization.  Each  chapter  | 
ends  with  a  bibliography  of  stories  of  the  type  considered  | 
in  the  chapter.  There  is  a  general  bibliography  of  story  | 
literature  and  a  list  of  stories  arranged  by  grades  for  use  | 
in  each  month  of  the  year.  | 

The  book  contains  thirty  stories,  models  of  simple  and  | 
direct  narrative,  many  of  which  will  be  new  even  to  | 
experienced  story-tellers.  | 

It  will  give  experienced  story-tellers  many  new  ideas  and  | 
give  help   and   encouragement  to  the   inexperienced.  | 

The  author  is  perhaps  the  best  known  writer  on  story-  | 
telling  in  this  country.  | 

Cloth,    xx-^-sgd  pages.  | 

WORLD  BOOK  COMPANY  | 

YONKERS-ON-HUDSON,  NeW  YoRK  | 

2126  Prairie  Avenue,  Chicago  | 

a 
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiim iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiii iiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir 


mm 


School  Efficiency  Monographs 

Constructive  educational  hooks  of  handy  size  ^covering  many  edu- 
cational cavities  named  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  issued 

THE  PUBLIC  AND  ITS  SCHOOE 

By  William  McAndrew 

Treats  educational  matters  in  a  big  way.     Illustrated. 

STANDARDS  IN  ENGLISH 

By  John  J.  Mahoney 

A  coturse  of  study  in  composition  for  elementary  schools. 

AN  EXPERIMENT  IN  THE  FUNDAMENTALS 

By  Cyrus  D.  Mead 

Gives  results  from  practice  material.    Illustrated. 

NEWSBOY  SERVICE 
By  Anna  Y.  Reed 
Of  value  to  those  interested  in  the  Smith-Hughes  Act. 

EDUCATION  of  DEFECTIVES  in  the  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 
By  Meta  L.  Anderson 
A  thoroughly  readable  and  instructive  book. 

RECORD  FORMS  FOR  VOCATIONAL  SCHOOLS 

By  Joseph  J.  Eaton 

Forms  showing  ways  to  introduce  efficiency  methods. 

RURAL  EDUCATION  and  the  CONSOLIDATED  SCHOOL 
By  Julius  B.  Arp 
The  problems  of  the  rural  school.    Illustrated. 

PROBLEMS  IN  STATE  HIGH  SCHOOL  FINANCE 

By  Julian  E.  Butterworth 

A  vast  amount  of  data  for  school  officials. 

COMMERCIAL  TESTS  AND  HOW  TO  USE  THEM 

By  Sherwin  Cody 

A  working  handbook  of  the  National   Business  Ability  Tests. 

THE  RECONSTRUCTED  SCHOOL 

By  Francis  B.  Pearson 

Discussion  of  the  real  problems  in  the  work  of  reconstruction. 

THE  TEACHING  OF  SPELLING 

By  WiLLARD  F.  Tidyman 

The  only  method  book  written  since  the  famous  investigations. 

Other  volumes  in  active  preparation 
Prices  we  for  kraft  bound  books 

WORLD  BOOK  COMPANY 

Yonkers-on-Hudson,  New  York 
2126  Prairie  Avenue,  Chicago 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 
or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
BIdg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 


ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 

(415)642-6233 
1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books 

to  NRLF 
Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days 

prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


'■^'''^  93 1989 


riuCL:iVL.O   ny 


UAI    C   1    iloi 


CmCULAflON  DEPT. 


uerKeiey 


YB  45628 


l^t^iu'j 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBR4.RY 


